QUEENS---A Miami, Florida, executive and his wife, charged with participating in an unlawful online gambling operation that booked more than $3.3 billion in wagers over a 28-month period, have pleaded guilty to felony charges in the case.

Daniel B. Clarin, 32, and his wife, Melissa Clarin, 31, both of Miami, Florida, both entered guilty pleas. He pleaded guilty to enterprise corruption, a violation of New York State's Organized Crime Control Act, and Mrs. Clarin pleaded guilty to fourth-degree conspiracy before Queens Supreme Court Justice Stephen Knopf who set sentencing for April 26.

The judge indicated that he would likely sentence Clarin to an indeterminate term of two and one-third to seven years in prison and order him to forfeit $254,356 and would sentence Mrs. Clarin to a three-year conditional discharge, the condition being that she forfeit $72,508 in illegal earnings.

"The defendants have admitted to be being major players in an incredibly lucrative. and illegal, global gambling operation that took in untold millions of dollars in unlawfully earned proceeds through casinos, shell corporations and bank accounts in a variety of locations around the globe, including Central America, the Caribbean, Switzerland, Hong Kong and elsewhere", Queens district attorney Richard Brown said.

Wagers were placed on a wide variety of sporting events ranging from horseracing, football, baseball, basketball and hockey to NASCAR, PGA golf and professional tennis, among others.

The District Attorney said that in pleading guilty Clarin admitted that between July 14, 2004, and Nov. 2, 2006, he worked as the "comptroller" of the criminal enterprise, Playwithal gambling organization, and was responsible for managing the enterprise's day-to-day operations and handling bettor disputes and accounting discrepancies, as well as managing account information of the various runners and bettors. He further admitted that he was responsible for monitoring the enterprise's toll-free telephone numbers and website - including the playwithal.com website specified in the indictment - which were used to accept and receive bets from bettors and other individuals located in Queens County and elsewhere.

The District Attorney said Mrs. Clarin admitted that she worked as a "financial officer" for the enterprise during the same time period and conspired with others to assist in laundering more than $1 million in illegal gambling proceeds through various financial institutions overseas and elsewhere to conceal or disguise the nature, location, source, ownership and control of the proceeds of the illegal gambling operation and to allow her and other members of the enterprise to illegally acquire more money.

Brown said that the Clarins are among 20 defendants also being sued civilly and have been named as respondents in a historic $500 million civil forfeiture action filed in Queens Supreme Court by the District Attorney's Special Proceedings Bureau which alleges that they engaged in a criminal enterprise that promoted illegal gambling activities and generated illegal wages.
3-19-07

© 2007 North Country Gazette