In what will be a case that stretches into 2014, the first plea deal has been reached regarding the April raid by the U. S. Department of Justice that broke up an international gambling ring allegedly helmed by the Russian mob.
One of the 34 people that were named in the indictment was Hollywood producer Bryan Zuriff, who was charged in the April indictment with operating an illegal sports gambling business, transmission of sports wagering information across state lines and acceptance of financial instruments for unlawful internet gambling. Thursday, Zuriff pled guilty to the final charge in a Manhattan courtroom while the other two charges against him were dropped. Even though he was able to reach the plea deal, Zuriff still could face up to five years in prison when he is sentenced in November and has already forfeited $500,000 to the federal government to settle the case.
“Bryan Zuriff spanned the coasts with his crimes, by operating his own illegal gambling enterprise in Los Angeles, and helping to operate a vast illegal gambling enterprise in New York,” the U. S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Preet Bharara, said in a statement Friday announcing the plea deal. “With his plea, he becomes the first defendant, but not the last, to be convicted in this sprawling script of criminal conduct.”
Zuriff is a successful Hollywood producer, known for his work on the films The Messenger and the 2011 film The Details. He is currently the executive producer of the cable channel Showtime series “Ray Donovan,” which follows the life of a man known as a “fixer” (someone who circumvents the law to make certain situations “go away” for those with enough money to pay them). Starring Liev Schreiber as the titular character and Jon Voight as his ex-convict father, the show has garnered some pleasant reviews and set a record for the largest premiere ever on Showtime as it moves through its first season.
The April case stunned the poker community not only to the size and scope of the indictment but also with the persons that allegedly were involved in it. Of the 34 people that were indicted, several were notable poker professionals.
Poker pro Vadim Trincher was named as a major ringleader of the international gambling ring and, according to court documents, was responsible for laundering almost $50 million. When Trincher was arraigned after his arrest in April, federal attorneys presented audio evidence that allegedly had Trincher threatening other gamblers who couldn’t pay their debts with physical violence.
Trincher was named as the head man in charge of the “Taiwanchik-Trincher Organization” in the indictment. His alleged partner in that organization, Alimzhan Tokhtakhunov, is rumored to be one of the major figures in Russia’s organized crime world. He has had several run ins with authorities around the world and, in 2011, was on the Forbes Magazine Most Wanted Fugitive list and is still at large. The “Taiwanchik” reference is Tokhtakhunov’s nickname due to his more Asian features than Russian.
Four other poker pros – Bill Edler, Peter Feldman, John Hanson and Abe Mosseri – were also listed as defendants in the indictment. Charges that these gentlemen all face include racketeering, extortion, money laundering and illegal gambling. Also named in the indictment was Molly Bloom, the “Poker Princess” who traversed the United States setting up private home games for celebrities, businessmen and other wealthy players.
The gambling ring allegedly was operated by members of the Russian mob, who used the gambling connections to push money around the globe. It is alleged that Trincher, along with Helly Nahmad (the son of David Nahmad, a billionaire art dealer and collector and the owner and operator of his own art studio in New York) and Trincher’s son Illya, funneled money through bank accounts and shell companies in Cyprus and then would transfer the funds between the United States and Russia.
As Bharara stated in his announcement, the plea deal for Zuriff is only the tip of the iceberg in this ongoing case. Most of those charged will not be in court until next spring, leaving plenty of time for more plea deals to be worked out as the massive case moves through the federal court system.
