Brother of US Congressman Convicted Under UIGEA

When Congress passed the Unlawful Internet Gaming Enforcement Act (UIGEA) in October of 2006, which effectively outlawed online gambling in the US, few expected the Act to have the teeth to bite individuals, but they were wrong.

Because according to news reports, 61-year-old Daniel Eremian - who is ironically the brother-in-law of Congressman John Tierney - was convicted on charges of illegal gambling, racketeering, racketeering conspiracy and related charges.

Plus his 37-year-old co-accused, Todd Lyons, was found guilty of illegal gambling and racketeering, and will go down in history as the first person ever to be convicted under UIGEA on charges of illegal online gambling and racketeering.

On Monday this week in the US District Court in Boston, the pair were found guilty of the above charges with regards to a gambling operation allegedly 'concealed' in an online betting operation hosted on the Caribbean island of Barbuda.

Sports Offshore a Front for US East Coast Bettors

According to prosecutors in the case, Eremian and his biological brother Robert owned and operated an online betting site called 'Sports Offshore from the online gambling-friendly jurisdiction of Antigua and Barbuda, which was actually a front to allow betting fans on the US East Coast to wager illegally.

It was revealed in court that Lyons' role was as an agent with the responsibility of collecting millions of dollars in wagers between 1998 and 2006.

Said US Attorney Carmen Ortiz, 'Today's convictions should serve as a message to those involved with illegal gambling schemes that the government will apply the full weight of its resources to identify, investigate and prosecute individuals who seek to profit from offshore gambling.'

Despite the ruling, US District Court Judge Nathaniel Gorton granted bail to Eremian and Lyons on Monday, who have been ordered to appear later today (Thursday, December 8) for their detention hearing.

Two other co-accused in the Sports Offshore case - Robert Eremian and Richard Sullivan - who were also charged with illegal gambling and racketeering under UIGEA in 2010, are still fugitives as they have not yet been brought to justice.