North Shore Butcher Gets Prison Time, Must Pay $1.4M In Taxes For Illegal Sports Betting Business

Dominic Poeta & nbsp acknowledged earlier this year that between 2012 and 2017, he made more than$ 3.7 million from an illegal sports gambling enterprise.

However, lawyers claim that he has consistently underreported his money to the IRS for decades. For instance, he bought a$ 1.5 million house in Highland Park in 2008.

He gave the IRS a tax return of less than$ 12, 000 that year.

Poeta was given a time in jail sentence by US District Judge Matthew Kennelly on Monday. Poeta, 63, is also required to pay the$ 1.4 million in taxes he owes.

NorthShore barber Poeta claimed that he frequently accepted bets at his business.

Kennelly said during the hearing, per the Chicago Sun-Times:

& ldquo, To be completely honest, the amount involved in this is quite astounding. And it & rsquo, which is most likely an undercount by a sizeable margin. & rdquo,

Because checks deposited into Poeta & rsquo’s personal bank accounts after 2012 were used by prosecutors to determine the$ 1.4 million amount, that is. They think he started placing bets and misreporting money before that.

Assistant US Attorney Patrick King wrote,” Andrdquo, The size of his activity and the amount of income he obtained was greater than that for which He was charged.”

King also noted in his letter that Poeta placed bets in people, at his barber shop, or at gamblers’ tables, residences, and places of business.

He claimed that in order to pay off his debts, one casino stole money from his family’s restaurant chain, forcing the community to completely shut down the establishment.

As is well known, problem playing and improper playing frequently coexist.

Not the first run-in with the authorities for Poeta

The feds charged Poeta with working as a bookmaker in 2007.

This was related to the case of Adam Resnick & rsquo. Resnick was a compulsive gambler who was sentenced to prison for participating in an$ 10 million check-kiting program.

Universal Federal Savings Bank was destroyed by the program in 2002.

In 2007, Resnick published Bust: How I Gambled and Lost a Wealth, Brought Down and Mdash, and Lived to Pay For It.

He cites Poeta in it, describing him as a famous high school athlete in his mid-forties who, in addition to owning and accepting bets while he worked, was & ldquo. & rdquo,

In 2018, Poeta was subpoenaed by the IRS. However, that reportedly didn’t stop him from accepting bets and mdash; instead, he continued to do so while informing one casino that the IRS had made it illegal for him to accept checks.

Poeta admitted guilt to sending bogus tax returns and information about illegal gambling in August. Instead of going to prison, Poeta and his attorneys advocated for probation or house labor.

Thomas Breen, a defense lawyer, claimed that Poeta is an absolutely fantastic, beautiful person who frequently assisted people in his neighborhood.

Poeta advised the prosecutor that staying here, caring for the people I need to care for, continuing to work, and paying off this debt would be the best way for him to offer his sentence. & rdquo,

The judge eventually came to the opposite conclusion.

This is the latest illegal gambling scheme to go down in Illinois. Earlier this year, an operation involving Casey Urlacher made headlines.

That’s still playing out in court, though one man has already been sentenced.

Why a restricted market is preferable

Legal sportsbooks promote responsible gaming, and there are local services in place to help those who struggle with problem gambling.

In this scenario, a gambler would also frequently leave cash envelopes worth thousands of dollars with Poeta & rsquo, the doorman, after years of losing andrdquo. It’s difficult to imagine Poeta dissuading for conduct, to put it mildly.

Additionally, there is nothing preventing a bookmaker from withholding rewards from customers because the business violates the law.