Seven members of a criminal racketeering and money laundering network that was operating in six states and Central America were arrested Thursday night as part of Operation Gotham City, the Broward Sheriff’s Office said.
The BSO’s yearlong undercover investigation focused on a network of 12 men led by Adam Green, 52, of Boca Raton, the agency said
"This organization was involved in all the major sporting events, and they were working with a vast network of people, they were working throughout Broward County, throughout the state, but not just in Florida, they were actually in five other states and in Central America,” BSO spokeswoman Gina Carter said.
The agency said detectives from its Strategic Investigative Division arrested the ring of men, who were taken down with the assistance of BSO Organized Crime Unit investigators and Boca Raton and Fort Lauderdale Police.
They were involved in a scheme that included racketeering and bookmaking, the BSO said. Detectives said they solicited customers online and millions of dollars were transferred, with all of the money changing hands in Broward County.
In late 2012 undercover Organized Crime Unit detectives infiltrated the enterprise, which involved illegal betting and money laundering through various banks, the BSO said.
In addition to Green, the agency identified those arrested as Jordan Brown, 24, of Coral Springs; Emilio Colon, 32, of Margate; Mark Ruggiero, 42, of Pompano Beach; Sean Barnes, 34, of Delray Beach; Rehan Kazi, 45, of Pembroke Pines; and Eric Spinosa, 36, of Boca Raton.
The men face various charges related to the criminal operation and are being held for bonds as high as $600,000, the BSO said. It was not immediately known whether the men have attorneys.
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Five more arrests are expected in the coming days, the BSO said.
