Article LA Nacion 5/7

[Costa Rica]

Migration reports the at least five condemned in EE. UU.
Exconvictos by bets visits the country
• Aparecen in " black book " of Nevada

Ernesto Rivera C.
erivera@nacion.com
Editor of the Nation

Six better which they appear in " black book " of the Nevada state - five of them with sentences in the United States by swindles to casinos and illegal bets they maintain frequent visits to Costa Rica from 1999.

One is the Americans Joseph Balsamo, William Land, Joseph Cusumano, Peter Jay Lenz, Frank Masterana and John Vaccaro.

The related news:

With registry of visits

Mafia? It is possible



Their names appear nonsingle in the " Book of Nevada game control " (" black book ") but in the registries of visitors whom the Main directorate of Migración and Extranjería takes (DGME).

According to the Commission of game of Nevada, the Americans have file in FBI, were accused in reiterated occasions by illegal bets and deceits related to casinos and five are exconvictos.

Vaccaro, Land and Lenz, could be still in Costa Rica since they do not register exit of the country.

" black book " or GBC (by its abbreviations in English) is an official list, made by the state Commission of game of Nevada, that contains the names of 35 people to those who the entrance in its casinos is prohibited them to accumulate judicial sentences in frauds and crimes with illegal bets.

In addition, the DGME gives account of frequent income of other nine people, whose names agree with the " alias " used by other members of the " black book ", which also they have great amount of judicial antecedents related to deceits and illegal game in the United States.

That yes, neither the Organism of Investigación Judicial (OIJ) nor the Ministry I publish still work on the case, but Rogelio Ramos, minister of Public Security, informed into which he investigates the subject.

Yes he clarified that no of the mentioned people has legal impediment to enter the country, nor request of capture from the international police Interpol.

Several industralists of the industry of the electronic bets admitted like possible that exconvictos by illegal bets in the United States they have here companies of electronic bets or sportsbooks , as he knows them in that atmosphere. Nevertheless, they affirm to not know the visit of tie people with the American Mafia.


He prevents

But, what mean these visits? They could indicate that they have established businesses here? Which is the opinion of the national authorities?

As much the Minister of Security, like two agents of consulted FBI, was hermetic before these questions.

Single they expressed that the subject is under investigation and that to advance answers is premature.

Branches single announced that it is to the delay of information asked for to the Federal Office of Investigation (FBI).

Indeed, the telephone interventions of FBI to the calls that Frank Masterana - from 71 years of age it received in Puerto Rico, from the United States, allowed to take it in opinion at the beginning of February, in Buffalo, New York.

Anthony Bruce, lawyer of the office of the public prosecutor of Buffalo in that case, explained the Nation that the better ones settle in Costa Rica and some islands of the Caribbean to avoid the judgments in their country.

" When a better one says that its business is legal, in fact he is saying that he has been placed outside the reach of the law of the United States ", he affirms.


It is possible

Eduardo Agami, president of the Costa Rican Association of Companies of Electronic Bets, admitted that " it is possible " that members of this industry in Costa Rica have judicial antecedents in the United States, since, from its perspective, that country unjustly persecutes the takers of bets.

Similar opinion expressed Gary Austin, of International Services of Sport Information, another company of bets here.

Nevertheless, it diminished the gravity of these crimes: it compared them with which it could be in Costa Rica to cross a traffic light in the red light.

" the industralists of bets that we are here we are independent businessmen, connectionless with the organized crime. The income of the business are not sufficient so that they become jumbled this type of people ", said.

Confronted on information that indicate to two of his managers (that are those that establishes the favorite equipment to bet) like people that are been in prison by illegal bets in the United States, Austin admitted to know those antecedents in one them, call Danny Adamavich.

" we contracted It because it knew the business very well. The bets are very specific operations and the possibilities of winning or of losing are based on the abilities that these people have ", explained.

Consulted by the Nation , Adamavich admitted to have confronted federal positions by illegal bets in the state of New Orleans, in 1994, but it clarified that at the moment it does not have pending accounts with the justice of the United States.

Austin affirmed perhaps that by the antiquity which they have in these activities, many managers and owners has been some time in the jail.

Interviews made with clerks (as he knows himself those who the telephone bets receive) of different companies, refer in addition that many managers and owners of these houses of bets, have expressed to them that fear to the North American judicial authorities and for that reason they do not use his real names.

Some of these industralists admit that sometimes they do not appear with his true names. Eduardo Agami, who is owner of SBG, another one of the companies of bets here, says that occasionally he resorts to an alias to avoid the publicity, in as much Greg Champion, of Sports Basket, affirms that he does by reasons for security.


Other businesses

In addition to sportsbooks , some better ones have begun to diversify to their businesses in Costa Rica towards traditional casinos and nocturnal clubs.

The company/signature of Gary Austin has near 200 employees and administers three sites of bets by Internet: Bad Lands, Regency and Sharkeys.

Now Austin has invested also in Cheethás, a nocturnal club and located casino right in the center of San jOse.

From some young people they happen there to work like clerks to train like operators of game to travel to a casino in Seminola City, an indigenous reservation of Oklahoma.





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