4065 stories by Philip Conneller
Home Depot Employee Stole $4M in Gift Cards to Fund ‘Extravagant Gambling Lifestyle’
Former Home Depot employee stole 8,325 company gift cards $4 million scheme funded gambling A Secret Service investigation led to a federal prison sentence A former employee of The Home Depot has been sentenced to more than three years in federal prison...
Chicago-Area Racetrack Hawthorne Files For Bankruptcy, Lists Up to $500M in Liabilities
Hawthorne files Chapter 11 with liabilities up to $500M Illinois Racing Board halts racing after bounced purse checks Fanatics owed $8.75M as racino project remains stalled The stricken Hawthorne Race Course near Chicago filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy Friday, listing estimated assets...
Alleged Gambino Bookie Threatened to Behead Debtor’s Son: Feds
Federal indictment details illegal sports betting and loansharking scheme. Prosecutors cite violent threats against debtors and witnesses. Recorded calls allegedly reveal mafia-linked gambling profits. An alleged Gambino bookie and loan shark threatened to cut off the head of the son of one...
Billionaire Chumba Casino Founder Laurence Escalante Hit with Fresh Drug Charges
VGW billionaire Laurence Escalante hit with new drug charges Police allege burglary, assault, and persistent family violence Trafficable quantities of ketamine, MDMA, cocaine seized from home Laurence Escalante, the Australian billionaire founder of Chumba Casino, has appeared in court in Perth, Western...
Pregnant Woman Injured After Driver Gambling On Phone Causes Crash
Driver gambling on phone crashes into stopped family SUV Pregnant passenger suffers fractured pelvis, emergency premature birth Man sentenced to 28 months, banned from driving A British man who crashed into a family car while his eyes were glued to a gambling...
Supreme Court Lawyer Tom Goldstein Convicted in Tax Case Tied to High-Stakes Poker Millions
Supreme Court lawyer convicted of tax evasion and fraud Secret multimillion-dollar poker games hid from IRS, prosecutors say Goldstein faces up to 30 years in prison Tom Goldstein, the celebrated US Supreme Court lawyer who led a double life as a high-stakes...
20 Charged in $190K DraftKings Fraud Scheme in Connecticut
Twenty charged in alleged $190K DraftKings fraud scheme Stolen bank data used to fund betting withdrawals Two suspected coordinators remain wanted by authorities Authorities in Connecticut have charged 20 state residents in connection with a sprawling $190K fraud scheme that used Visa...
EXCLUSIVE: How the Idaho Lottery Was Gamed for $1.6M by Shadowy Syndicate That Denied Idahoans Prizes
Out-of-state syndicate spent $1M to win $1.6M Record Idaho Cash jackpot tied to mass buying strategy Lawmakers move to ban bulk lottery ticket purchases The Idaho lottery was gamed last year for $1.6 million by an out-of-state lottery syndicate that likely bought...
US Senate Democrats Press CFTC to Ban Event Contracts Linked to War, Death
Senators demand CFTC block “death outcome” prediction markets Polymarket contracts on war and leaders spark backlash CFTC stance shift fuels fight over federal authority A group of Senate Democrats is urging the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) to take a hard line...
Second Police Gambling Scandal: Virginia Officer Sentenced to 3 Years for Role in Illegal Betting Ring
Virginia officer stole $831K to fund gambling habit Fake inheritance story used to secure 33 loans Court orders $747K restitution, three-year prison term A now-ex Virginia police officer who told friends and colleagues he was waiting for a large inheritance was, in...
