OKLAHOMA CITY — Federal prosecutors said a jury in Oklahoma City has convicted three Florida men and a Florida-based corporation in connection with an illegal international gambling and money laundering operation.
Officials said 50-year-old Paul Francis Tucker, 50-year-old Luis Robles and Zapt Electrical Sales, Inc., were found guilty Tuesday of racketeering, conducting an illegal gambling business and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Also, 58-year-old Christopher Lee Tanner was convicted of conducting an illegal gambling ring in the cases. Tucker is from Mount Dora.
The three allegedly conspired from 2003 to 2013 to operate internet and telephone gambling services from Panama City, Panama, through an enterprise known as Legendz Sports. Authorities say the enterprise took more than $1 billon in illegal wagers, mostly from the United States.
According to a release from the U.S. Department of Justice, Tucker and Tanner were alleged to have worked as bookies in Florida where they "illegally solicited and accepted sports wagers and settled gambling debts."
The DOJ release said Tucker owned Zapt Electrical Sales, Inc. and used the business and "its bank account to launder gambling proceeds collected from losing bettors."
“In the age of the internet, what used to be a crime conducted by bookies on street corners is now an international criminal enterprise,” said Assistant Attorney General Caldwell in the release. “Operating on-line but off-shore, the individuals convicted in this case raked in more than a billion dollars in illegal gambling proceeds. But as these convictions demonstrate, no matter where or how organized criminals operate, the Criminal Division will bring them to justice.”
A sentencing date will be set in about 90 days.
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