James Giordano ordered to be held without bail in Queens Criminal Court
Thursday 30th November 2006
A professional poker player accused of overseeing a $3.3 billion illegal sports gambling operation was ordered to be held without bail at the Queens Criminal Court in New York yesterday, as his lawyer entered a plea of not guilty.
52 year old poker player, James Giordano and his family had been extradited from their home in Florida to face charges in New York of running an online gambling scheme that reportedly rivalled casino sports betting.
Prosecutors suggested that since 2004, Giordano had run a $1 billion-a-year operation involving tens of thousands of bettors and 2,000 bookmakers, who would track their secretly coded wagers and monitor point spreads and results through a restricted website.
Giordano was arrested on November 15 by FBI agents at his home in Florida and was indicted along with 26 others, including three family members. His wife, Priscilla Giordano, was released on $1 million bail, his daughter, Melissa Clarin, was released on $500,000 bail, whilst Daniel Clarin, his son-in-law was also refused bail.
Leaving the courtroom, the Clarin family lawyer Roger Adler said, “This is obviously a significant case. We are trying to get our hands around it.”
Attorneys for the other defendants have so far declined to comment.
