Carlsbad Man Among Defendants Arrested in FBI Gambling Raid

Authorities busted what prosecutors called a violent international gambling ring Wednesday and charged 18 members with managing an illegal betting operation called Macho Sports, according to a federal indictment unsealed in San Diego.

According to the indictment, participants in the scheme are accused of taking millions of dollars in illegal wagers over the last decade in the San Diego and Los Angeles areas. The ring reached as far as Panama, Peru and Norway.

Fourteen of the defendants were arrested Wednesday in a series of FBI raids in both counties. The net ensnared suspects from Carlsbad, La Mesa and San Diego, according to CBS8.com.

Charges ranged from racketeering conspiracy to  running an illegal gambling business.

“This case highlights the connection between illegal Internet gambling operations and the violence associated with this type of racketeering activity,” FBI Special Agent in Charge Daphne Hearn said. “Criminal enterprises like Macho Sports and their U.S.-based ‘bookmakers’ prey on the gambling addictions of their betting customers, wreaking havoc on people’s lives and the lives of family members.”

Read the full story on Carlsbad.Patch.com