Tax evasion. Filing false tax returns. Also, witness tampering and conspiracy to operate an illegal gambling ring.
A Canton man was recently indicted on multiple felonies related to a gambling den. The Department of Justice alleged all of those offenses and more.
Gambling is legal in Ohio, as long as it’s done at a licensed operation. Sports betting in Ohio will launch on Jan. 1. There are no current plans to legalize online casinos.
According to the DOJ’s press release, a team of five people ran The Skilled Shamrock, an illegal gambling operation.
- Canton resident Christos Karasarides
- Jason and Rebecca Kachner
- Ronald DiPietro
- Thomas Helmick
The Kachners, DiPietro and Helmick were charged with multiple gambling and tax offenses in 2021.
Karasarides came into the picture this year. The DOJ filed a superseding indictment, which prosecutors often use to add a new defendant to a case.
DOJ: Operation took in over $34M handle in five years
The Skilled Shamrock took in nearly a $35 million handle from 2012 to 2017, according to the DOJ. All those wagers created $4 million in income for Karasarides and his colleagues.
Karasarides allegedly hid the money from the IRS. Consequently, he had extra cash to play with since Uncle Sam wasn’t getting a cut. He spent the money many different ways, the DOJ said.
“Instead of paying his overdue tax debt, Karasarides allegedly spent millions of dollars in cash on personal items such as cars, country club dues, real estate and credit card payments for the benefit of family members.”
When Karasarides bought a home, he funneled his Skilled Shamrock cash through a friend’s fake business, the DOJ said, adding money laundering to his charges.
Karasarides allegedly tried to strong-arm witnesses
Karasarides went on the offense when he found out he was being investigated by a grand jury, the DOJ said. He is accused of trying to tamper a witness who was going to appear.
He also allegedly drafted fake paperwork to try and legitimize a non-existent loan, then tried to convince another grand jury witness to lie about the loan.
None of his alleged tactics worked. Jurors indicted Karasarides on multiple counts.
Defendant faces a long prison sentence if convicted
Karasarides faces the possibility of more than 100 years in prison if convicted and sentenced to the maximum time for each crime.
- Up to 25 years for conspiracy to operate an illegal gambling business
- A maximum five years for defrauding the IRS
- Up to five years for tax evasion
- Up to three years for filing a false tax return
- A maximum 20 years for conspiracy to launder money
- Up to 60 years for conspiracy to launder money, falsifying records and witness tampering