NEW YORK — More than two dozen people, including a high-stakes poker player, were charged Wednesday in connection with an alleged $1-billion-a-year sports gambling ring that rivaled casino sports books.
The alleged scheme was orchestrated through a website called Playwithal.com run by the poker player, James Giordano, 52, of Pine Crest, Fla., New York Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly said.
A break in the case came when investigators hacked into a laptop computer that Giordano left in a Long Island hotel last year, police said. He was arrested Wednesday by FBI agents.
The prosecution is seeking the forfeiture of $500 million in assets, Queens Dist. Atty. Richard Brown said. A total of 27 people were charged in New York, New Jersey, Florida and Nevada on charges that include enterprise corruption, money laundering and promoting gambling.
