Online gambling ringleader sentenced

One of the leading figures in a multi-million dollar New York online gambling business broken up by federal authorities last year, Phillip Gurian (52) has been sentenced in a federal court.

U.S. District Court Judge Mae D’Agostino took into account time served and monies forfeited in handing down a sentence of three years of supervised release and a fine of $100,000 for conspiracy to launder money.

The judge additionally ordered that Gurian be banned from frequenting locations where gambling is the focus, and from possessing a computer or Internet capable device.

Prosecutors had earlier claimed that Gurian laundered at least $8 million through co-defendant Michele Lasso, who was sentenced earlier this month to probation and was detained by immigration officials for deportation to her native Panama .

Judge D’Agostino said the $8 million to $10 million Gurian forfeited following his arrest is “just the tip of the iceberg.” She referred wiretap transcripts in which Gurian boasted that he made $150,000 a day from the illegal online gambling operation. Court transcripts also show that he had bank accounts in at least 10 states and at least 6 countries.

“I am going to live a productive and peaceful life,” Gurian told the judge after apologising to the court and his family.

The Associated Press news agency reports that Gurian has been in custody since his arrest on April 2013, and that court papers show that he has previously been involved in questionable activity, and allegedly fled to Europe after being associated with organised crime.

He was found using a British passport with a fake name at a border crossing point between France and Switzerland. He was also involved in a civil dispute and fled to Canada.

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