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The U.S. District Judge Virginia Covington has sentenced a man in Tampa, Florida, to seven years and six months in federal prison for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aiding and assisting in the filing of false and fraudulent tax returns tied to fabricated gambling winnings and losses.
Along with the sentencing, the court has also entered an order for forfeiture in the amount of $1,354,757.64, the proceeds of the criminal conduct, and restitution in the amount of $15,028,309.89 to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
It was on December 2, 2024, when George Tucker Jr entered a guilty plea, with the update on the sentencing having been provided on December 19 by the United States Attorney’s Office in the Middle District of Florida.
According to the update, court documents show that beginning in March 2021, and continuing through to February 2024, the man “engaged in a scheme to defraud the IRS.”
Lakeland man’s tax returns included ‘fabricated figures for gambling winnings and losses’
The press release states: “Tucker prepared or assisted in the preparation of 316 false and fraudulent tax returns for 196 taxpayers, including himself, for tax years 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023.
“The tax returns contained falsified Schedules A, B, 1, and 3, as well as fraudulent Forms W-2G, which contained fabricated figures for gambling winnings and losses, and federal tax withholding amounts (based on the fake gambling winnings). The false tax returns requested substantial refunds from the IRS that the taxpayers were not legally entitled to receive.”
The total intended tax loss from the tax returns the man prepared amounted to $59,941,751, while it’s reported that the actual loss totaled $15,028,309.89, which the IRS paid out to taxpayers either as tax refunds or credits applied to prior debts.
The media release states the man “personally profited $1,354,757.64 in the form of payments from his taxpayer-clients or refunds he received directly from the IRS.” He is said to have used the money to enrich himself, including buying expensive jewelry.
“These defendants spent their days looking for ways to cheat. Those who deliberately exploit our tax system for personal gain will face serious consequences,” said Special Agent in Charge Ron Loecker of the IRS Criminal Investigation Florida Field Office. “These prosecutions reflect the dedication of our agents to protecting honest taxpayers and upholding justice for all Americans.”
Featured Image: Lakeland skyline via Butter142 on Wikimedia Commons, CC 4.0 license
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A 32-year-old has been sentenced after pleading guilty to permitting an illegal gambling house for gain, the Michigan Gaming Control Board has confirmed.
The man, Gurjinder Singh, was sentenced by Judge Steven M. Timmers in 62A District Court in Kent County, a two-year misdemeanor. As part of the sentencing, he must also pay $500 in fines, fees, and court costs.
“This sentencing sends a clear message that illegal gambling will not be tolerated in Michigan,” said MGCB executive director Henry Williams in the announcement.
“We encourage all business owners to follow the law and remind the public that unregulated gambling puts players and communities at risk.”
Michigan Gaming Control Board received reports of suspicious activity
The case dates back to a joint investigation by the Michigan Department of Attorney General and the MGCB who had received reports of suspicious activity at a business location. In February 2024, investigations then identified two standalone slot-style gaming machines that were believed to have closely resembled machines used in licensed commercial casinos.
According to the investigators, customers could play the machines and redeem winnings for Visa gift cards. The MGCB says this arrangement was trying to bypass Michigan’s legal requirements for gambling activities which poses risks to consumers.
“Illegal gambling operations may appear harmless, but they can contribute to other forms of crime, lack consumer protections, and divert revenue away from community priorities,” Williams said.
“We appreciate the strong collaboration with the Department of Attorney General and local law enforcement in bringing this case to a close.”
The Michigan Gaming Control Board works in partnership with law enforcement agencies across the state to investigate illegal gambling operations and take enforcement action when needed. They say these efforts help make sure that licensed operators compete fairly and that Michigan residents are protected from predatory or unsafe gambling environments.
Featured Image: Via Michigan Gaming Control Board Facebook / Canva
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The Florida Gaming Control Commission (FGCC) assisted the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) with ‘Operation Funny Money’ which saw coordinated enforcement action targeting alleged illegal gambling across Florida.
The operation spanned three locations in the Northeast of the state, with investigators executing a search warrant in Jacksonville and two others in Orange Park.
It was during the operation that FGCC personnel seized alleged illegal gambling machines and related components, with these amounting to 230 slot machines, and 23 fish tables, along with further digital media and related equipment.

FGCC seized 253 illegal slot machines in Northeast Florida working with the Clay County Sheriff’s Office, Homeland Security, and the IRS. Read more here: https://t.co/hOOukO1Qw8 pic.twitter.com/vkrWJ9Fc8t
— Florida Gaming Control Commission (@FLGamingControl) December 18, 2025

Florida gaming regulator assisted HSI and IRS in Operation Funny Money
Speaking on the operation, the Florida Gaming Control Commission executive director Alana Zimmer said in a press release: “The Florida Gaming Control Commission welcomes the opportunity to partner with our federal and local partners to stem illegal gambling in our state.
“We will take the vital, necessary steps to shut down illegal casinos that are popping up across Florida. Our agents are constantly working to permanently close the doors of illegal gambling establishments, and we appreciate the collaboration with our federal partners.”
The gambling machines that have been seized have been transported to a FGCC storage facility for evidentiary purposes. Any proceeds from the machines that have been recovered have been collected and documented by HSI evidence technicians as part of the ongoing federal investigation.
In Florida, the law allows gambling machines to only be offered in legal gaming facilities. According to the gaming regulation, in the state this consists solely of eight licensed pari-mutuel facilities in Miami-Dade and Broward counties and at certain facilities operated by the Seminole Tribe of Florida.
In the announcement about the outcome of the search warrants, the Florida Gaming Control Commission reiterated it is against the law to offer slot machine gaming or any unauthorized gaming at any unlicensed facility in Florida.
Featured Image: AI-generated via Ideogram
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The Alcohol and Gaming Commission (AGCO) in Ontario has announced changes as it prepares to launch its iGaming Centralized Self-Exclusion (CSE) program next year.
Through the CSE, players in the province will be able to voluntarily exclude themselves from all regulated iGaming sites through a single process. The aim is to help reduce barriers by eliminating the need to self-exclude across multiple platforms and provide safeguards across the entire regulated market.
At the moment, operators have their own self-exclusion programs for their individual sites as this is required. While they will still have to run their own programs for their sites, where they accept new registrations and honor all existing self-exclusion agreements, the operations will also participate in the overall CSE system.
The actual document of standards will be published and take effect when the CSE platform goes live next year, with exact timing to be communicated closer to launch.
Ontario Centralized Self-Exclusion Program to launch next year
“As part of our commitment to continuous improvement, the requirement for operators to provide self-exclusion programs for their sites, as stipulated in Standard 2.14, will be revisited by the AGCO no more than 12 months following the launch of the Centralized Self-Exclusion Program,” the regulator has confirmed.
Alongside the platform, a new CSE standard has been developed and some further minor changes made. When it launches, this platform needs to be well promoted on the sites of all operators, with this being a requirement.
The terms of the Centralized Self-Exclusion Program must be clearly defined too, with these including options for six months, one year, and five years.
Operators must also prevent ‘Centrally Self-Excluded Persons’ from creating new player accounts or accessing existing accounts for as long as they continue to be self-excluded.
Operators must, no later than 24 hours after an individual is added to the Centralized Self-Exclusion Registry, take all reasonable steps to prevent any marketing material, incentives or promotions from being sent to that individual for as long as they continue to be a Centrally Self-Excluded Person.
Featured Image: Credit to Taxiarchos228 on Wikimedia Commons, CC3.O0 license
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The Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office said Friday (December 19) that a 23-year-old man from Brooklyn has been indicted for his alleged role in a Coinbase cryptocurrency scam that authorities say cost victims nearly $16 million. Prosecutors estimate that about 100 people across the country were affected.
Officials say the charges stem from an investigation by the office’s Virtual Currency Unit. According to investigators, the man allegedly posed as a customer service representative from Coinbase, reaching out to users and telling them their accounts had been compromised. He then allegedly instructed victims to move their cryptocurrency into new wallets he claimed were secure, but prosecutors say those wallets were actually under his control.
Brooklyn man accused of Coinbase-related crypto scam
Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said in a statement, “This indictment charges the defendant of operating a long-running social engineering scam that amounted to a digital robbery against scores of crypto investors across the country. He allegedly tricked many unsuspecting people to transfer their life savings to wallets he controlled, blew their hard-earned money gambling online, and then bragged about his successful thefts.”

Brooklyn Man Charged with Stealing nearly $16 Million by Presenting Himself as Cryptocurrency Exchange Rep and Scamming Users
“My office is committed to making sure that Brooklyn never becomes a hub for online scams.”
Read more https://t.co/YwWExkhotv pic.twitter.com/dqb8yq0POt
— Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez (@BrooklynDA) December 19, 2025

Gonzalez added, “My office is committed to making sure that Brooklyn never becomes a hub for online scams, and we will continue to root out every instance of cryptocurrency fraud, which is a serious problem that’s been exploding throughout the country. We will investigate offenders using the latest technology, freeze their assets whenever possible, and assist the victims.”
The District Attorney’s Office identified the defendant as 23-year-old Ronald Spektor of Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn. He was arraigned Friday before Supreme Court Justice Danny Chun on a 31-count indictment that includes charges of first-degree grand larceny, first-degree money laundering, scheme to defraud, and other related offenses. Spektor is currently being held on bail.
Prosecutors said authorities have already seized about $105,000 in cash and roughly $400,000 in cryptocurrency, and they are still working to recover additional assets they believe were stolen.
Coinbase users reportedly targeted by Ronald Spektor
Investigators say the alleged scheme focused on users of Coinbase, a US-based cryptocurrency exchange where customers can buy, sell, and store digital assets. Authorities noted that Coinbase users are often targeted in phishing scams, where scammers pretend to be trusted companies in order to trick people into sharing sensitive information or transferring funds.
Over the past year, investigators examined what they described as a coordinated phishing operation that led to losses of about $15.9 million. More than 70 victims were interviewed, many of whom said they were contacted by someone claiming to be a Coinbase representative who warned them their accounts were under threat from hackers. Victims were allegedly convinced to move their cryptocurrency into wallets they believed were safe and under their control, but prosecutors say those wallets were actually accessible by Spektor.
Authorities also allege that the stolen cryptocurrency was laundered through a complex web of transactions involving multiple exchanges, swapping and mixing services, crypto gambling platforms, and online storefronts. Some of the assets were allegedly converted into other cryptocurrencies, cash, gift cards, or digital goods.
According to prosecutors, Spektor’s alleged role in the scheme was established through transaction records, blockchain analysis, digital forensic evidence, and materials recovered during multiple search warrants. Investigators say his home internet connection was allegedly linked to several of the wallets used in the thefts. They also claim he used online forums to recruit others to help with social engineering and to brag about the operation.
Prosecutors further allege that Spektor used the handle “@lolimfeelingevil” on the encrypted messaging app Telegram, where he ran a channel called “Blockchain enemies” and boasted about his activities. They say he also used other encrypted platforms, including Discord, and that recovered messages reference both losing millions of dollars through cryptocurrency gambling and making millions through scams.
Text messages found on his phone allegedly show that after becoming aware of online accusations of fraud, Spektor tried to get rid of a cryptocurrency hardware wallet and replace it.
Victims were spread across the United States, according to prosecutors. One victim in California reported losing more than $1 million, while a Virginia resident said they lost over $900,000. Other reported losses included about $53,150 from a man in Pennsylvania who received fake security alerts and a phone call from someone claiming to work in Coinbase security, and roughly $38,750 from a woman in Maryland who said she was contacted by people identifying themselves as Coinbase employees.
In a statement, Paul Grewal, Chief Legal Officer for Coinbase, said, “We’re grateful to District Attorney Gonzalez and the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office for their partnership and relentless work to protect victims. In this case, Coinbase supported the investigation by helping identify the perpetrator and the customers he defrauded, providing evidence to ensure he could be charged, and assisting law enforcement efforts to trace and recover funds connected to the fraudulent phishing scheme.”
Grewal added, “We’re committed to protecting our customers and working hand-in-hand with law enforcement to hold scammers accountable and help bring justice for those they harm.”
Prosecutors took the opportunity to remind the public to be careful about phishing scams, warning that legitimate companies usually do not ask customers to move cryptocurrency into so-called safe wallets. They also advised people to double-check messages through official channels and not to act quickly under pressure.
Featured image: Office of the Brooklyn District Attorney
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