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[Report] Thomas Vanek again involved in Money Laundering Rumours and Allegations


Warhippy

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http://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/nhl/thomas-vanek-linked-to-gambling-money-laundering-case-report-1.2819640

NHL star Thomas Vanek’s name has surfaced again in connection with a case involving an alleged illegal sports gambling ring and money laundering in Western New York.

The Rochester Democrat and Chronicle reported today that a bookmaker pleaded guilty Thursday to laundering a $230,000 US gambling debt, which was paid off with a New York Islanders salary cheque, according to the man’s attorney.

The payment was made at the same Vanek played for the Islanders, the Democrat and Chronicle reported attorney James Wolford as saying, though Wolford would not say whether the cheque came from Vanek.

Wolford also said, according to the Democrat and Chronicle, that the $230,000 payment covered only a portion of a $1 million overall debt owed by the gambler who paid with the Islanders cheque.

Vanek, who currently plays for the Minnesota Wild, isn't facing any charges and was not the target of a police investigation. But he has acknowledged testifying before a grand jury, and he said in a statement in July that he was co-operating with a U.S. federal investigation.

Reports around that time indicated that the investigation involved three men charged with illegal gambling at the Marina Restaurant and Bar in Charlotte, N.Y. The business was raided in June and three men were charged with 23 counts of illegal sports gambling.

Played in Montreal

Vanek’s name appeared in records seized from the alleged bookmakers, the Democrat and Chronicle reported.

Vanek spent time in the Western New York region when he played for the AHL's Rochester Americans and the NHL's Buffalo Sabres. The Sabres traded him last October to the Islanders, who later sent him to the Montreal Canadiens, where he finished the season before signing a three-year, $19.5-million free-agent deal with the Wild on July 1.

On Thursday, Mark Ruff pleaded guilty to illegal gambling and money laundering, and will be sentenced to nine years if his plea deal is approved by the judge at his January sentencing. Ruff admitted helping manage a gambling operation with his brother, Joseph Ruff, and Paul Borrelli, both of whom are awaiting trial.

From January 2012 until the time the men were arrested, authorities allege, $76 million in wagers was handled.

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Arg... Better not suspend him from nhl. At least not until the playoffs. I have him in a pool in which I already lost voynov...

Do these players not understand that they need to play and not get arrested? Idc about them but to mess up my team... Now that childish.

Dammit vanek and voynov... U have duties to fulfil to my team.

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so this guy lost $1m and now he needs to be punished?

lol

When you're paying gambling debts from sports, specifically sports you play with cheques watermarked with your teams accounting dept.

it kind of makes things look really suspicious

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Doesn't seem like there's anything to this. Apparently he bet (and lost) on football and wrote a check to cover part of those losses.

The statement made by the guy's lawyer (not Vanek's) tries to imply that Vanek was involved in some sort of money laundering. That's a dick move right there.

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He paid the debt with his actual paycheque. That's nearly right up there on the stupid scale with Jerry Springer paying a prostitute with a personal cheque while he was mayor of Cincinnati.

Haha that's good but maybe an overstatement? Its only illegal to bet on hockey. If he didn't do anything wrong does it really matter how he paid for it?

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Haha that's good but maybe an overstatement? Its only illegal to bet on hockey. If he didn't do anything wrong does it really matter how he paid for it?

When you're in the public eye? Yes. If Joe Schmo pays with a paycheque nobody cares, if a famous hockey player pays with his, it could very well come back to bite him on the rump.

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When you're in the public eye? Yes. If Joe Schmo pays with a paycheque nobody cares, if a famous hockey player pays with his, it could very well come back to bite him on the rump.

I agree, but if he didn't break any rules or do anything illegal it shouldn't be a big deal. That damned public eye always finds you one way or another.

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I agree, but if he didn't break any rules or do anything illegal it shouldn't be a big deal. That damned public eye always finds you one way or another.

Gambling in the US is illegal unless you are on a licensed property such as a casino. That's how the states and feds make more money and it keeps criminals from laundering theirs.

I personally think it's no big deal. Gambling has been around for thousands of years. I just hope Vanek isn't addicted. It would be sad to see him go broke after he retires.

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