An Illinois State University student involved in a massive, international sports betting ring avoided prison time during his sentencing hearing held on September 28. U.S. District Judge Virginia Kendall let 25-year-old Matthew Namoff off with a $10,000 fine and six months of home confinement.
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Namoff Got Mixed Up with the Mob
Federal prosecutors say Namoff became involved with mobster Vincent “Uncle Mick” DelGiudice. The 55-year-old DelGiudice allegedly groomed Namoff in the art of bookmaking, making the ISU student an equal partner in his online gambling operation. Prosecutors also pointed out that the bets Namoff collected were not insignificant.
Federal prosecutors claimed that Namoff managed 60 student gamblers at ISU. DelGiudice saw the partnership as a business opportunity since the student gamblers would eventually increase their gambling once they left school and became employed.
However, Namoff’s defense attorney, Darryl Goldberg, disagreed with the prosecution’s characterization of Namoff as a fledgling mob bookie. Goldberg characterized Namoff’s involvement as paling in comparison to the other defendants charged in connection with the online gambling operation.
Before sentencing, Namoff apologized to the court saying, “I was stupid to see gambling as a way to socialize at school. But I now know that gambling is not a victimless crime. You’ll never see me here is court again, thank you, your honor.”
Mettawa Mayor Casey Urlacher Also Caught in the Drag Net
The younger brother of the Chicago Bears linebacker and Hall of Fame inductee Brian Urlacher, Casey Urlacher was indicted due to his involvement with the gambling operation. DelGiudice allegedly paid Urlacher a commission to collect debts and pay out winnings.
Mettawa is a tiny community of 550 residents in Lake County. Urlacher did not get paid as mayor of the community.
Urlacher was facing up to 10 years in prison due to his involvement with DelGiudice’s illicit online sportsbook. However, Urlacher received a pardon from former President Trump on his last day in office.
Urlacher was recently reelected as the mayor of Mettawa and has also filed to run for Illinois State Senate in the 26th District.
Namoff’s defense attorney pointed out Trump’s pardon of Urlacher, saying that to avoid disparate treatment under the law, Namoff should not see prison time. However, Judge Kendall did not believe her courtroom was the right place to bring up Urlacher’s pardon.
Defense Claims Namoff Suffers from PTSD
Goldberg claimed that Namoff suffered a violent robbery, which triggered an undiagnosed case of post-traumatic stress disorder. However, that did not seem to play into the sentencing.
Goldberg also claimed that Namoff thought that being familiar with DelGiudice and his illicit sportsbook would increase his popularity at school.
He began taking $1 to $3 bets on sporting events, and that eventually morphed into something bigger. Namoff’s college bets were so small that the minimum bet was eventually increased to $5. Goldberg stressed that Namoff was the least of all the defendants.
Uncle Mick Admits He Ran an Illegal Online Sportsbook
Shortly after Ulacher’s pardon, DelGiudice admitted that he ran an illegal online sportsbook based in Costa Rica. His Chicago ring collected bets from as many as 1,000 bettors netting DelGiudice around $8 million.
DelGiudice pled guilty to money laundering and gambling conspiracy in an in-person hearing at the Dirksen Federal Courthouse.
Prosecutors said that during a raid of DelGiudice’s home, federal authorities found more than $1 million in cash. Not only that, DelGiudice had stashed away $92,622 in gold coins and $347,896 in jewelry and silver ingots.
DelGiudice admitted to running illegal sports betting operations from 2016 through 2019 in the plea agreement. He also admitted to recruiting agents, including Namoff, to help him take wagers on sporting events.
DelGiudice also admitted to his offshore operation in Costa Rica that managed accounting and record-keeping for the online sportsbook. Over one year, DelGiudice sent $113,625 in cashier’s checks from his home in Orland Park to the company in Costa Rica.
Prosecutors say that during a raid of DelGiudice’s home, authorities uncovered more than $1 million in cash, $347,895 in silver bars and jewelry, and $92,623 in gold coins.
These admissions made during a plea deal could get DelGiudice a relatively light sentence of two years.
Chicago Has a Long History of Mob-Tied Bookies
Chicago has a long love affair with gambling, something criminal gangs have taken advantage of. However, following WWI during the years of Prohibition, the Torrio-Capone syndicate expanded its gambling operations, taking over the city’s slot machines. By the 1940s, the Chicago mob had taken over the racing wire service, a sort of precursor of online sports run by telegraph.
Mob gambling operations eventually spread to the suburbs, including Orland Park. By 1959, it was estimated that 10,000 people were working at 1,000 mob-run gambling establishments in Cook County.
Despite the recent legalization of sports betting across Illinois, the mob still has a hand in the business, including Gregory Emmett Paloian of Elmwood Park. Paloian admitted in a plea deal that he ran an illegal gambling operation, as well as failing to pay $200,000 in taxes.
Court records show Paloian has extensive criminal ties to the Chicago Outfit as well as Chicago crime figures like John “Quarters” Boyle and alleged Cicero mob boss Michael Spano Sr.
