Stay far away from the place. Legal trouble.
By Torsten Ove, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Federal prosecutors in Pittsburgh have filed papers to seize nearly $5 million from various corporate bank accounts in Belize as part of an ongoing Internal Revenue Service investigation of a gambling business in the Central American nation.
According to forfeiture documents in U.S. District Court prepared by IRS Agent Richard Schott, the agency is investigating CaribSports & Casino, Carib International and other corporate entities controlled by Jon R. Rogers of Toronto, Ohio; John A. Thorne of Tampa, Fla.; and Peter T. Mowad of the Aliquippa area in Beaver County.
The government of Belize froze the bank accounts in Belize at the request of the United States in February, but the Supreme Court in Belize has since ordered them unfrozen until prosecutors indicate when they plan to file charges.
The U.S. attorney's office would not comment beyond the court filings, nor would the IRS.
The seizure of the accounts forced the company to borrow money to pay its 80 employees in Ladyville, Belize, a Carib accountant told a Belizean news agency. He also said his company injects $4 million into the local economy every year.
The forfeiture request is the second filing here in the probe of CaribSports, which takes wagers online or over the phone from bettors in the United States.
Last year, federal prosecutors moved to seize gold coins, a silver block and more than $1.6 million in cash from Rogers, Thorne and Mowad.
The new forfeiture request names various corporations through which the three are accused of laundering gambling money and also names others involved, including Mowad's children, Lisa Hoying and Anthony Mowad, who are on the board of a Belizean company controlled by Mowad called Data Tech.
In addition, the filings name Mark Sembar, business manager and assistant secretary for the gambling company.
Rogers, Thorne, Mowad and others named and unnamed are under investigation for alleged unlawful transmission of wagering information, mail fraud, wire fraud and money laundering.
Since at least 1993 until this year, court papers indicate, the three men and others operated CaribSports in Antigua, Belize and the United States. The company moved to Belize from Antigua in 2000.
From locations in the Caribbean, Rogers, Thorne and Mowad or their employees accepted millions of dollars in wagers on sports events from bettors in the United States, either online or by phone, according to the IRS.
The men are also accused of diverting millions in illegal income from CaribSports and a gambling supply company they established in Florida for their own benefit.
In early June 2003, the Criminal Investigation Division of the IRS executed search warrants at Rogers' home and his warehouse in Ohio, Thorne's home in Tampa and several safe deposit boxes in Ohio and Pittsburgh.
In the Pittsburgh search on June 4, agents seized $700,000 from a safe deposit box controlled by Rogers at Citizens Bank on Steubenville Pike, in addition to 360 gold coins worth $122,400.
In Ohio, agents seized $400,000 in cash from a safe deposit box controlled by Rogers at Sky Bank and $400,000 from his box at National City bank.
The June 3 search of Rogers' warehouse turned up $45,000 in cash and a 100-ounce block of silver. Another $112,100 was taken from the Thorne home in Florida.
By Torsten Ove, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Federal prosecutors in Pittsburgh have filed papers to seize nearly $5 million from various corporate bank accounts in Belize as part of an ongoing Internal Revenue Service investigation of a gambling business in the Central American nation.
According to forfeiture documents in U.S. District Court prepared by IRS Agent Richard Schott, the agency is investigating CaribSports & Casino, Carib International and other corporate entities controlled by Jon R. Rogers of Toronto, Ohio; John A. Thorne of Tampa, Fla.; and Peter T. Mowad of the Aliquippa area in Beaver County.
The government of Belize froze the bank accounts in Belize at the request of the United States in February, but the Supreme Court in Belize has since ordered them unfrozen until prosecutors indicate when they plan to file charges.
The U.S. attorney's office would not comment beyond the court filings, nor would the IRS.
The seizure of the accounts forced the company to borrow money to pay its 80 employees in Ladyville, Belize, a Carib accountant told a Belizean news agency. He also said his company injects $4 million into the local economy every year.
The forfeiture request is the second filing here in the probe of CaribSports, which takes wagers online or over the phone from bettors in the United States.
Last year, federal prosecutors moved to seize gold coins, a silver block and more than $1.6 million in cash from Rogers, Thorne and Mowad.
The new forfeiture request names various corporations through which the three are accused of laundering gambling money and also names others involved, including Mowad's children, Lisa Hoying and Anthony Mowad, who are on the board of a Belizean company controlled by Mowad called Data Tech.
In addition, the filings name Mark Sembar, business manager and assistant secretary for the gambling company.
Rogers, Thorne, Mowad and others named and unnamed are under investigation for alleged unlawful transmission of wagering information, mail fraud, wire fraud and money laundering.
Since at least 1993 until this year, court papers indicate, the three men and others operated CaribSports in Antigua, Belize and the United States. The company moved to Belize from Antigua in 2000.
From locations in the Caribbean, Rogers, Thorne and Mowad or their employees accepted millions of dollars in wagers on sports events from bettors in the United States, either online or by phone, according to the IRS.
The men are also accused of diverting millions in illegal income from CaribSports and a gambling supply company they established in Florida for their own benefit.
In early June 2003, the Criminal Investigation Division of the IRS executed search warrants at Rogers' home and his warehouse in Ohio, Thorne's home in Tampa and several safe deposit boxes in Ohio and Pittsburgh.
In the Pittsburgh search on June 4, agents seized $700,000 from a safe deposit box controlled by Rogers at Citizens Bank on Steubenville Pike, in addition to 360 gold coins worth $122,400.
In Ohio, agents seized $400,000 in cash from a safe deposit box controlled by Rogers at Sky Bank and $400,000 from his box at National City bank.
The June 3 search of Rogers' warehouse turned up $45,000 in cash and a 100-ounce block of silver. Another $112,100 was taken from the Thorne home in Florida.
old news,carib is one of the best in the business
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR> The seizure of the accounts forced the company to borrow money to pay its 80 employees in Ladyville, Belize, a Carib accountant told a Belizean news agency. He also said his company injects $4 million into the local economy every year.
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
That cannot be good..JMO
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
That cannot be good..JMO
Carib is ok, but I think you can do much better. They have prompt and very polite customer service and they pay quickly. But there are a number of things about them I don't like:
1. Use of delayed lines. I've never understood the need for this and I've never experienced it at another book. The lines you see on a main page are about 3-5 minutes behind. One needs to click on a specific line to see the actual current number. They acknowledge doing this but have never given me a straight answer as to why.
2. The software is on the slow side. Plus, I think their user interface is well below average. Too many steps to place a bet. Of course, this is just personal taste -- some may love their interface.
3. Flat fee of $20 for Neteller withdrawals. They don't even allow one free withdrawal every x days like most books. If they were a reduced vig book, I'd be more understanding here. To top it off, if you want to withdraw more than $2500, you must pay multiple fees. I know some use PrePaid ATM with them, which I guess is free. But Neteller is still the most popular means for transactions; thus, I believe Carib should be on par with other books here.
4. 20 cent baseball line. No need for this when most books use a 10 cent line.
If one is into contests and promos, Carib is probably a good choice. They have a lot of those sorts of things. Beyond that, I don't understand the allure. I use them as a secondary out, mostly due to their auto-adjusting odds. During crunch time, if one is quick, one can get some good plus moneylines on straight bets.
1. Use of delayed lines. I've never understood the need for this and I've never experienced it at another book. The lines you see on a main page are about 3-5 minutes behind. One needs to click on a specific line to see the actual current number. They acknowledge doing this but have never given me a straight answer as to why.
2. The software is on the slow side. Plus, I think their user interface is well below average. Too many steps to place a bet. Of course, this is just personal taste -- some may love their interface.
3. Flat fee of $20 for Neteller withdrawals. They don't even allow one free withdrawal every x days like most books. If they were a reduced vig book, I'd be more understanding here. To top it off, if you want to withdraw more than $2500, you must pay multiple fees. I know some use PrePaid ATM with them, which I guess is free. But Neteller is still the most popular means for transactions; thus, I believe Carib should be on par with other books here.
4. 20 cent baseball line. No need for this when most books use a 10 cent line.
If one is into contests and promos, Carib is probably a good choice. They have a lot of those sorts of things. Beyond that, I don't understand the allure. I use them as a secondary out, mostly due to their auto-adjusting odds. During crunch time, if one is quick, one can get some good plus moneylines on straight bets.
Caribs funds are sent to Antigua now! They never had their funds in Belize, always had their funds in a different country! You sent your funds to Belize but they had their funds elsewhere! They are running a great offer to those who use PrePaidATM for the first time! They give you 25$ to use PPATM as a first timer!After that EVERY TRANSACTION THROUGH PPATM IS FREE ALONG WITH YOUR FIRST!
That Pre Paid deal is very difficult to understand. It seems to be a Carib Card--not quite of course--but not far from it. And I used to love Carib. But--1st--their constant down time and 2nd--with the investigation by Uncle--who wants their name to show up on ANY list. The hockey player who lost a large sum to them--we never heard any more about. I wish Carib well in any event!
Originally posted by oldmantime:
That Pre Paid deal is very difficult to understand. It seems to be a Carib Card--not quite of course--but not far from it. And I used to love Carib. But--1st--their constant down time and 2nd--with the investigation by Uncle--who wants their name to show up on ANY list. The hockey player who lost a large sum to them--we never heard any more about. I wish Carib well in any event
Thanks Rob, I promise to give my best effort. But my actual goal on these contests is to break even. I am not kidding. They are merely entertainment for me. For fun. I am capping every game anyway so why not? But I desire to do well in the Hilton. I respect the competition. You have a lot of touts throwing thier money away hoping to get high enough to sell more picks. But there are real cappers in there, who like me, just cap. I am honored to be there with them. I just hope to hold my own, top 20. Possibility exists I get humbled, or humiliated. I would rather try and fail than not try at all. I figure a lot of 12-14 hour days, just capping. My effort and focus are pretty much a given. My results, time will tell. Thanks for encouragement Rob...OF
