This Wednesday, the Londoner David Hair have pled guilty to illegal sports betting activity. The prosecution presented by Crown attorney Henry Poon read out an agreed statement of facts in Toronto court. The 50-year-old man admitted that he was among the ringleaders behind the illegal online sports book called Platinum Sports Book.
The illegal sports book, that was run through computers in Costa Rica, extracted around $100 million from its victims in a five-year period between 2009-13. During the course of the investigation, the police seized $1.6 million in cash and vehicles.
Earlier this week, David Hair admitted his role in the illegal sports-betting rings that is associated with organized crime. The defendant has been indicted of illegal bookmaking operation. Hair was sentenced to three years behind bars and he was fined $3 million. The defendant agreed to pay $2 million before his sentence actually comes into effect on 21st February this year. Hair is to pay the other $1 million within the next three years. The court released the wrongdoer on $400,000 bail. According to reliable sources, Hair currently lives in his house in Londonās swish Sunningdale neighborhood.
The Case in Details
Attorney Henry Poon told Justice John McMahon that the illegal sports book was promoted by hundreds of bookmakers, that operated across Canada. He described the intricate scheme as a āpyramid-type structureā, in which bookies paid a certain share of their profits from Platinum to people from the upper management levels such as Hair. Hence, the more bookies sign up with the illegal sports book, the higher the profit would be.
In February 2013, the police executed a search warrant of Hairās home in London. The officers found $680,000 in bundled cash, which was believed to be Hairās share from the operation of Platinum. However, Hair did not operate on his own. His associates, including Bill Miller and Andrew Bielli (both having connection to a Hells Angels-affiliated gambling ring in Ontario) were also accused of illegal bookmaking. The second set of arrests saw Rob Barletta and Christopher Rutledge being charged with criminal organization participation and illegal bookmaking.
In September 2016, all charges against the former leader of the London Hells Angels dropped and Gordon Baird admitted that he was the administrator of Platinum. He received an 18-month conditional sentence to be served at home. In January 2017, Bielli also pleaded guilty possessing property obtained by crime. He was sentenced to 15 months in jail. It is interesting to note that in February 2013, David Hair and 30 other allegedly-involved accomplices were found at the annual Super Bowl party dedicated to rewarding its loyal customers.
