Gregory Emmett Paloian, Illegal Sports Gambling, Illinois 2024
CHICAGO, Illinois - In a shocking turn of events, 66-year-old Gregory Emmett Paloian of Elmwood Park, Illinois, was sentenced to two and a half years in federal prison for operating an illegal sports betting business and filing false tax returns in the Northern District of Illinois.
According to court documents, Paloian conducted his illegal sports bookmaking business in Chicago, Melrose Park, and Elmwood Park from 2012 to 2018. During this time, he accepted wagers on the outcome of sporting events, including collegiate games and professional football, basketball, baseball, and hockey games.
Paloian retained the services of a website where his bettors could view odds on sporting events, place bets, and track their winnings and losses. He and his agents regularly met with the bettors to collect losses or pay out winnings.
The illegal sports betting business generated $172,458 in losses to the IRS and $25,238 in losses to the Illinois Department of Revenue.
Paloian pleaded guilty earlier this year to one count of conducting an illegal gambling business and one count of filing a false tax return. U.S. District Judge Joan Humphrey Lefkow imposed the 30-month sentence after a hearing in federal court in Chicago.
The sentence was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Emmerson Buie, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI; and Tamera Cantu, Acting Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago office of the IRS Criminal Investigation Division.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Terry M. Kinney and Ankur Srivastava argued in the government's sentencing memorandum that Paloian's business was a large, high stakes, predatory gambling organization that generated hundreds of thousands of dollars of revenue for Paloian and his agents during the many years it was in operation.
Key Facts
- State: Illinois
- Category: White Collar Crime|Organized Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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