Antiguan pleads guilty in US court for role in illegal gambling ring

Antiguan, Richard Sullivan, has pleaded guilty in a US federal court in Boston for his involvement in a significant illegal gambling enterprise.

The US Justice Department (DOJ) has stated that Sullivan, aged 74 and residing in St John’s, Antigua, admitted to operating an illegal gambling business and transmitting wagering information.

According to the evidence presented in court, Sullivan and his three co-conspirators, Todd Lyons, Robert Eremian, and Daniel Eremian, operated Sports Offshore, which operated across Massachusetts and Florida.

The DOJ explained that Sports Offshore utilized an internet site and a toll-free telephone line registered in Antigua to cater to customers from the United States.

Additionally, the operation employed around 50 gambling agents within the United States who solicited numerous customers and collected gambling debts, forwarding the illicit proceeds to Antigua.

To conceal their conspiracy, Sullivan and his co-conspirators established multiple fictitious entities without any legitimate business purpose to launder the profits from their illegal gambling activities, making it difficult for authorities to detect US-based financial transactions involving Sports Offshore.

In total, Sullivan and his co-conspirators amassed over $22 million through their illegal gambling operation and laundered more than $10 million through checks and wire transfers.

The sentencing for Sullivan has been scheduled for March 28, 2024, by US District Court Judge Patti Saris. Sullivan could face a maximum of five years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000 for operating an illegal gambling business.

The charge of transmitting wagering information carries a potential sentence of up to two years in prison, up to one year of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000.