LV man arrested on charges of illegal gambling

Jace Radke

Friday, Jan. 14, 2005 | 11:06 a.m.

A Las Vegas man alleged to be an associate of the Gambino family of La Cosa Nostra has been arrested and indicted in New York on federal charges of operating an illegal gambling business.

Anthony Uvari, 39, is charged in the 88-count indictment that alleges that he was part of an illegal gambling business that brokered more than $200 million in bets on horse racing and other sporting events.

According to the indictment Uvari, his father Gerald Uvari, of Florida, and his uncle Cesare Uvari, of New Jersey, ran the gambling operation and are all associates of the Gambino family.

Anthony Uvari has turned himself in to the FBI and had his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Peggy Leen Thursday afternoon. He is facing nine counts including charges of running an illegal gambling operation, money laundering and structuring a conspiracy.

If convicted of all nine counts Uvari is facing a maximum prison sentence of 102 years.

The indictment represents the culmination of a two-year investigation into a major illegal gambling business operating principally in New York, New Jersey, Florida, Nevada and New Hampshire, officials with the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York said.

The Uvaris acted as an intermediary between bettors and various off-site facilities where bettors made wagers by telephone or over the Internet without being present at the sporting event, which was usually horse racing, prosecutors said.

The indictment states that the Uvari's assigned numerical codes and pin numbers to each bettor, allowing the bettor to place wagers with the codes instead of their own personal identifying information. Social Security numbers were required for each account, but the numbers of the Uvari's and other defendants were used instead of the numbers of the bettors, the indictment states.

This allowed the bettors to avoid being taxed on their winnings and the Uvari's to claim gambling losses that were not their own on their tax filings, resulting in massive tax windfalls, the indictment alleges.

Anthony Uvari received a tax refund of $155,794 in 2003, according to the indictment.

The indictment goes on to allege that the defendants also made money on each bet placed with them in the form of a commission, and used several off-site locations to take bets: including Euro-Off-Track, located on the Isle of Man in the United Kingdom; International Racing Group Inc., in Curacao in the Netherlands Antilles; Racing Services Inc., in Fargo, N.D.; and a gambling operation located on the Tonkawa Indian Reservation in Tonkawa, Okla.

The defendants are also alleged to have laundered the proceeds of the illegal business.

The government is seeking at least $200 million in forfeiture from the defendants, including homes owned by the defendants in Las Vegas and Henderson.

Among the homes that the government is asking be forfeited are Anthony Uvari's Las Vegas homes at 231 Bethwick Circle, 5429 Sandpiper Lane and 9063 Radiance Court. The government is also asking that Gerald Uvari forfeit his Las Vegas home at 5487 San Florentine Ave., his Henderson home at 28 Via De Luccia and his home in Florida.