Las Vegas gambler gets probation for illegal bookmaking
A Las Vegas man was sentenced to three years probation Monday for his role in a lucrative illegal bookmaking operation.
Mitchell Garshofsky, 54, a well-known poker player and sports bettor, was ordered to spend six months of home detention with electronic monitoring as part of his terms of probation.
U.S. District Judge Jennifer Dorsey also fined Garshofsky $10,000 and ordered him to serve 100 hours of community service.
Defense lawyer Richard Wright described Garshofsky in court as an honest, religious man who is “extremely remorseful” for his actions.
Garshofsky added, “I’m very sorry about everything. I’m a man of faith and family.”
Garshofsky and his co-defendant, Aaron Virchis, 31, each entered guilty pleas in April to one felony count of operating an illegal gambling enterprise.
Both men agreed to forfeit roughly $1 million to the government.
Virchis, described as one of the biggest sports bettors in Las Vegas, is to be sentenced Aug. 11.
IRS agents leading a special financial crimes task force seized evidence of the bookmaking operation in a raid at Garshofsy’s home. The evidence linked the operation to offshore betting organizations, according to the plea agreements of the defendants
Agents learned from the raid that Garshofsky and Virchis, who has dual citizenship in the United States and England, had been communicating with known offshore betting sites, including Pinnacle, BetCris and Matchbook.
Garshofsky agreed to forfeit to the government $244,108 in cash and property seized in the raid, and Virchis is giving up $750,000.
Contact Jeff German at jgerman@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-8135. Find him on Twitter: @JGermanRJ.
