Poker Pro Argila Boss Of Illegal Gambling Empire

North Bellmore poker professional, Anthony Argila, appeared in court on Wednesday and pleaded guilty to operating a multimillion dollar international gambling operation.
The Nassau County court found the 52 year old guilty of promoting gambling, possessing gambling records and conspiracy and must now wait until October 15th before Judge Phillip Grella passes sentence. The first indications are not good for Argila who, in addition to a possible 4 year prison sentence, is facing a $4 million fine representing the yearly amount bet with his operation.
District attorney Kathleen Rice said Argila’s organization used a score of bookies and runners in Long Island to take bets which were then transferred to Costa Rica via a “wire room”. Middlemen in Nassau County would then be responsible for paying the bettors or collecting from them their losses.
Argila’s clients would also place sports bets on toll-free telephone lines and play online casino games on a sophisticated website set up by him and his associates.
Nassau County Police Department conducted a 2 year investigation into the illegal enterprise, starting in August 2005, and eventually making a major break through in 2007 when they managed to infiltrate the gang . Investigative officers were able to record details of Argila and his partner’s weekly Monday meeting at various hotels using photographs, GPS and phone tapping a line belonging to Angelo LePore, a runner with the gang.
Organisation runners LePore, 58, and Alan Wayne, 52 received conditional discharges and $1,000 fine after being found guilty of conspiracy.
“This was not a corner bookie operation.This operation was as high-tech and elaborate as it gets, so to bring him down we had to match him not only in effort but in sophistication. Mr. Argila rolled the dice against our police department and my office and he lost,” said Rice.
Although involved in real estate Anthony Argila played poker professionally and had earned $411,426 in tournament wins during his career including coming 4th at the 2006 WPT Borgata Poker Open for $366,660.