Seven men and one woman have been charged with operating an illegal gambling business from several exclusive high roller villas at Caesars Palace from approximately June 6 to July 9, 2014, announced Daniel G. Bogden, United States Attorney for the District of Nevada.
Wei Seng Phua, 50, Darren Wai Kit Phua, 22, Seng Chen Yong, 56, Wai Kin Yong, 22, all of Malaysia; Hui Tang, 44, of China; and Yan Zhang, 40, Yung Keung Fan, 46, and Herman Chun Sang Yeung, 36, all of Hong Kong, are charged in a criminal complaint and are scheduled to make initial court appearances before U.S. Magistrate Judge Carl W. Hoffman at 3:00 p.m. today. The defendants were arrested in Las Vegas on July 13, 2014, by law enforcement agents with the FBI and Nevada Gaming Control Board. Each defendant is charged with one count of unlawful transmission of wagering information and one count of operating an illegal gambling business. If convicted, they face up to two years in prison on the unlawful transmission count and up to five years in prison on the illegal gambling business count, as well as fines on each count of up to $250,000.
According to the criminal complaint, Wei Seng Phua, is known by law enforcement to be a high ranking member of the 14K Triad, an Asian organized crime group. On or about June 18, 2013, Phua was arrested in Macau, along with more than 20 other individuals, for operating an illegal sport book gambling business transacting illegal bets on the World Cup Soccer Tournament. Phua posted bail in Macau and was released. The complaint alleges that on June 23, 2014, Phua arrived in Las Vegas, Nev., to continue with his associates their illegal gambling business at a local casino. During early June 2014, three villas were reserved at a Caesars Palace at the request of Wei Seng Phua or one of his associates. Between June 6 and June 11, 2014, Phua and two of his associates, Seng Chen Yong and Hui Tang, checked into the villas. Phua and his associates allegedly requested that Caesars Palace install an unusually large amount of electronics equipment in the villas to support eight (8) Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) lines, and WiFi access. Caesars Palace installed and set up the equipment, but became concerned the equipment appeared to be a set-up for an illegal gambling operation. In one of the villas, computer screens were observed which looked similar to the ones in the casino’s sports book, including five stations and three monitors attached to each station. Each station’s computer tower was hooked up to a Century Link DSL line with voice over Internet protocol phones. Near the computer stations, there were three large screen televisions with service from Cox, Dish and Direct TV, each of which was tuned to World Cup soccer games. The Nevada Gaming Control Board, subsequently determined that the set-up was similar to a “wire room” where illegal wagers are made and monitored, and that the defendants were monitoring the World Cup and betting odds associated with World Cup soccer games in furtherance of operating a gambling business. Over the next month, law enforcement agents worked undercover and monitored the activity in the villas. On July 9, 2014, federal search warrants were executed at the three villas and law enforcement agents recovered gambling records, computer equipment, and other items. The defendants were arrested after it was determined that they were allegedly remotely controlling computers based overseas which allowed them to operate and manage their illegal gambling business from Las Vegas.
Get the latest breaking current news and explore our Historic Archive of articles focusing on The Mafia, Organized Crime, The Mob and Mobsters, Gangs and Gangsters, Political Corruption, True Crime, and the Legal System at TheChicagoSyndicate.com
Tuesday, July 15, 2014
Sunday, July 13, 2014
Legalizing Soft Drugs to Fight #OrganizedCrime
Does caffeine lead to cocaine use? Obviously not. But if caffeine were outlawed, a black market would emerge. Drug gangs, which are highly skilled at operating outside of the law and have pre-existing distribution channels, would begin trafficking illegal caffeine pills. If people were forced to use black market distribution chains to obtain a mild stimulant, such as caffeine, they would almost certainly be more likely to opt for a stronger stimulant, such as cocaine.
Either people deal with drug dealers, or they don’t. If they do, the dealers are likely to try to upsell them on other products. Drug dealers are like any other salespeople: They want to obtain the highest profit margin possible. Cocaine sells at a much higher margin than caffeine pills would, even if caffeine were outlawed. Even if most people resisted the dealers’ insistence that cocaine would provide a better experience, some non-drug users would try it; some would even become addicted. Caffeine use would likely decline, while use of cocaine and other illicit drugs would increase.
The above hypothetical is analogous to the prohibition of marijuana. People often refer to marijuana as a gateway drug that leads to people using stronger drugs. Yet there is no intrinsic gateway effect from marijuana. But once you’re buying marijuana on the black market, it isn’t much of a step to purchase psychedelic mushrooms, cocaine or ecstasy. Once you have a dealer, he or she will try to sell you other drugs. Marijuana isn’t a gateway drug; but black market marijuana is.
Legalizing marijuana would seriously impact the bottom line of many criminal enterprises, as it accounts for around half of global drug gang profits. There’s no doubt these gangs would try to make up for this by pushing the drugs that remain illegal. However, legalized marijuana would disrupt the entire black market, since dealers would no longer be able to lure customers in by selling them weed, only to sell them something else later. They would have a much more difficult time engaging customers to begin with. And if dealing becomes unprofitable, gangs will have a hard time finding dealers to buy their wholesale products. While marijuana use would likely increase (though it actually decreased in Portugal after decriminalization), gang profits would decrease and the availability of other drug would go down as well.
One might argue from the above logic that all drugs should be legalized. That would be simplistic. Some drugs may pose such a threat to users and society that the trade-off of allowing gangs to profit off them from selling a small amount is preferable to legalizing them, even if that only means a marginal increase in usage. Drugs such as crystal meth fall into this category. A true harm-reduction approach to drugs would weigh both the costs of drug usage, and the cost of prohibition. Both can be substantial. We need a rational approach to making these calculations.
One way to go about this would be to create three categories of drugs. The first would be milder substances that are somewhat harmful, but are also widely used. Hard liquor, cigarettes and marijuana are substances that would occupy this category. The harm from the substances is less than the destruction resulting from prohibition. These drugs should be restricted to adult use and should carry specific excise taxes. The second category would include drugs that can be very harmful to users, but rarely fatal, and rarely cause significant externalities. The prime example is cocaine. The harm caused by cocaine rarely extends beyond users and their families. These drugs should be decriminalized, so that problem users can seek treatment without fear of legal repercussions.
The third category would include drugs that are extremely harmful to the users and society as a whole, such as crystal meth, and should remain illegal. While the sale of these drugs would continue to line the pockets of drug gangs, the harm from even a modest increase in people using them would be substantial. Gangs will always exist. But strangling their most benign revenue sources would reduce their ability to finance distribution of the worst drugs, as well as other evils, such as human trafficking.
Drug policy is often considered the domain of morality. It shouldn’t be. Issues of personal morality should not be legislated. But when public safety is at stake, it can make sense to crack down on certain drugs. A utilitarian, harm reduction approach to drug policy would be a vast improvement over the reckless, moralistic approach we have now.
Thanks to Steve Lafleur.
Either people deal with drug dealers, or they don’t. If they do, the dealers are likely to try to upsell them on other products. Drug dealers are like any other salespeople: They want to obtain the highest profit margin possible. Cocaine sells at a much higher margin than caffeine pills would, even if caffeine were outlawed. Even if most people resisted the dealers’ insistence that cocaine would provide a better experience, some non-drug users would try it; some would even become addicted. Caffeine use would likely decline, while use of cocaine and other illicit drugs would increase.
The above hypothetical is analogous to the prohibition of marijuana. People often refer to marijuana as a gateway drug that leads to people using stronger drugs. Yet there is no intrinsic gateway effect from marijuana. But once you’re buying marijuana on the black market, it isn’t much of a step to purchase psychedelic mushrooms, cocaine or ecstasy. Once you have a dealer, he or she will try to sell you other drugs. Marijuana isn’t a gateway drug; but black market marijuana is.
Legalizing marijuana would seriously impact the bottom line of many criminal enterprises, as it accounts for around half of global drug gang profits. There’s no doubt these gangs would try to make up for this by pushing the drugs that remain illegal. However, legalized marijuana would disrupt the entire black market, since dealers would no longer be able to lure customers in by selling them weed, only to sell them something else later. They would have a much more difficult time engaging customers to begin with. And if dealing becomes unprofitable, gangs will have a hard time finding dealers to buy their wholesale products. While marijuana use would likely increase (though it actually decreased in Portugal after decriminalization), gang profits would decrease and the availability of other drug would go down as well.
One might argue from the above logic that all drugs should be legalized. That would be simplistic. Some drugs may pose such a threat to users and society that the trade-off of allowing gangs to profit off them from selling a small amount is preferable to legalizing them, even if that only means a marginal increase in usage. Drugs such as crystal meth fall into this category. A true harm-reduction approach to drugs would weigh both the costs of drug usage, and the cost of prohibition. Both can be substantial. We need a rational approach to making these calculations.
One way to go about this would be to create three categories of drugs. The first would be milder substances that are somewhat harmful, but are also widely used. Hard liquor, cigarettes and marijuana are substances that would occupy this category. The harm from the substances is less than the destruction resulting from prohibition. These drugs should be restricted to adult use and should carry specific excise taxes. The second category would include drugs that can be very harmful to users, but rarely fatal, and rarely cause significant externalities. The prime example is cocaine. The harm caused by cocaine rarely extends beyond users and their families. These drugs should be decriminalized, so that problem users can seek treatment without fear of legal repercussions.
The third category would include drugs that are extremely harmful to the users and society as a whole, such as crystal meth, and should remain illegal. While the sale of these drugs would continue to line the pockets of drug gangs, the harm from even a modest increase in people using them would be substantial. Gangs will always exist. But strangling their most benign revenue sources would reduce their ability to finance distribution of the worst drugs, as well as other evils, such as human trafficking.
Drug policy is often considered the domain of morality. It shouldn’t be. Issues of personal morality should not be legislated. But when public safety is at stake, it can make sense to crack down on certain drugs. A utilitarian, harm reduction approach to drug policy would be a vast improvement over the reckless, moralistic approach we have now.
Thanks to Steve Lafleur.
Update on #GameOverZeus and #Cryptolocker Disruption
The Justice Department filed a status report with the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania updating the court on the progress in disrupting the GameOver Zeus botnet and the malicious software known as Cryptolocker. The disruption began in late May, when the Justice Department implemented a series of Court-authorized measures to neutralize GameOver Zeus and Cryptolocker—two of the most sophisticated and destructive forms of malicious software in existence.
In the status report, the Justice Department informed the court that the technical and legal measures undertaken to disrupt GameOver Zeus and Cryptolocker have proven successful, and that significant progress has been made in remediating computers infected with GameOver Zeus.
The Justice Department reported that all or nearly all of the active computers infected with GameOver Zeus have been liberated from the criminals’ control and are now communicating exclusively with the substitute server established pursuant to court order. The Justice Department also reported that traffic data from the substitute server shows that remediation efforts by Internet service providers and victims have reduced the number of computers infected with GameOver Zeus by 31 percent since the disruption commenced.
The Justice Department also reported that Cryptolocker has been neutralized by the disruption and cannot communicate with the infrastructure used to control the malicious software. As a result, Cryptolocker is effectively non-functional and unable to encrypt newly infected computers.
Computer users who believe they may be infected with GameOver Zeus are encouraged to visit the Department of Homeland Security’s dedicated GameOver Zeus webpage, which is located at www.us-cert.gov/gameoverzeus. Among other resources, the webpage includes links to tools from trusted vendors that can detect and remove the GameOver Zeus infection.
In the status report, the Justice Department informed the court that the technical and legal measures undertaken to disrupt GameOver Zeus and Cryptolocker have proven successful, and that significant progress has been made in remediating computers infected with GameOver Zeus.
The Justice Department reported that all or nearly all of the active computers infected with GameOver Zeus have been liberated from the criminals’ control and are now communicating exclusively with the substitute server established pursuant to court order. The Justice Department also reported that traffic data from the substitute server shows that remediation efforts by Internet service providers and victims have reduced the number of computers infected with GameOver Zeus by 31 percent since the disruption commenced.
The Justice Department also reported that Cryptolocker has been neutralized by the disruption and cannot communicate with the infrastructure used to control the malicious software. As a result, Cryptolocker is effectively non-functional and unable to encrypt newly infected computers.
Computer users who believe they may be infected with GameOver Zeus are encouraged to visit the Department of Homeland Security’s dedicated GameOver Zeus webpage, which is located at www.us-cert.gov/gameoverzeus. Among other resources, the webpage includes links to tools from trusted vendors that can detect and remove the GameOver Zeus infection.
Organized Crime Groups Exploit "Entrepreneur" Visa Progam
Ministers are tightening up the "entrepreneur" visa scheme after checks uncovered a new scam involving potentially thousands of bogus applications.
The Home Office disclosed the number of foreigners applying for the right to stay in this country under the entrepreneur scheme rocketed from 118 in 2009 to just under 10,000 last year.
It was unclear when ministers were alerted to the rapid rise in numbers, but a Home Office spokesman confirmed two thirds of the applicants – more than 3,000 people – were granted a visa.
The Government believes organised crime gangs have been involved in the scam.
It is understood gangs would charge applicants to temporarily lend the £50,000 required to demonstrate they had the capital to invest in business schemes.
The surge in entrepreneur visa applications coincided with ministers' decision to close another visa route – for "post study work" by students who had completed their courses – in 2012.
Applicants denied access to those visas are now believed by the Government to have fraudulently switched to the entrepreneur route.
Immigration officials uncovered the scam after comparing their files with tax records which showed many of the so-called "entrepreneurs" had been working full-time for employers after obtaining their visas, sometimes in low-skilled jobs.
Under the terms of an entrepreneur visa, the holder is only allowed to work for their own business and not take employed work elsewhere.
James Brokenshire, the immigration minister, said: “This government is building an immigration system that is fair to British citizens and legitimate migrants and tough on those who abuse the system and flout the law.
“Our reforms have cut net non-EU migration to levels not seen since the 1990s and slashed overall net migration by a third since its peak under the last government. “And we will not hesitate to take firm action to protect our immigration system further – particularly when there is evidence of criminals targeting what they think are weaknesses in the rules.”
Applicants will now have produce more evidence of their business activities to secure an entrepreneur visa and other restrictions will be placed on switching to the visa from other immigration routes, the spokesman said.
Wide-ranging allegations about student visa fraud were made in a BBC Panorama documentary broadcast in February.
Thanks to David Barrett.
The Home Office disclosed the number of foreigners applying for the right to stay in this country under the entrepreneur scheme rocketed from 118 in 2009 to just under 10,000 last year.
It was unclear when ministers were alerted to the rapid rise in numbers, but a Home Office spokesman confirmed two thirds of the applicants – more than 3,000 people – were granted a visa.
The Government believes organised crime gangs have been involved in the scam.
It is understood gangs would charge applicants to temporarily lend the £50,000 required to demonstrate they had the capital to invest in business schemes.
The surge in entrepreneur visa applications coincided with ministers' decision to close another visa route – for "post study work" by students who had completed their courses – in 2012.
Applicants denied access to those visas are now believed by the Government to have fraudulently switched to the entrepreneur route.
Immigration officials uncovered the scam after comparing their files with tax records which showed many of the so-called "entrepreneurs" had been working full-time for employers after obtaining their visas, sometimes in low-skilled jobs.
Under the terms of an entrepreneur visa, the holder is only allowed to work for their own business and not take employed work elsewhere.
James Brokenshire, the immigration minister, said: “This government is building an immigration system that is fair to British citizens and legitimate migrants and tough on those who abuse the system and flout the law.
“Our reforms have cut net non-EU migration to levels not seen since the 1990s and slashed overall net migration by a third since its peak under the last government. “And we will not hesitate to take firm action to protect our immigration system further – particularly when there is evidence of criminals targeting what they think are weaknesses in the rules.”
Applicants will now have produce more evidence of their business activities to secure an entrepreneur visa and other restrictions will be placed on switching to the visa from other immigration routes, the spokesman said.
Wide-ranging allegations about student visa fraud were made in a BBC Panorama documentary broadcast in February.
Thanks to David Barrett.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
The Prisoner Wine Company Corkscrew with Leather Pouch
Best of the Month!
- Mafia Wars Move to the iPhone World
- The Chicago Syndicate AKA "The Outfit"
- Chicago Mob Infamous Locations Map
- Mob Murder Suggests Link to International Drug Ring
- Mob Hit on Rudy Giuilani Discussed
- Chicago Outfit Mob Etiquette
- Top Mobster Nicknames
- Bonanno Crime Family
- Little Joe Perna, Reputed Lucchese Mafia Crime Family Member, Charged with Running Multimillion Sports Betting Ring Involving College Athletes #NewJersey #MafiaNews #Gambling
- Was Jimmy Hoffa Killed by Frank "The Irishman" Sheeran