The federal court in New York City continues to be a revolving door for the 34 people charged in last year’s April indictments and arrests in an alleged Russian gambling ring. On Tuesday, one of those who entered a guilty plea received his fate and, earlier this month, another figure received his judgment.
Edwin Ting was the latest of those who have reached a plea deal with federal prosecutors to receive his final punishment from the court system. The 42-year old Ting was sentenced to five months in prison for operating an illegal gambling business, well short of the five years that he could have been sentenced. Prior to this final sentencing, Ting also agreed to a $2 million fine for being able to enter into his guilty plea.
It appears that the reason for Ting receiving jail time is his past record. In 2005, Ting served time for a 2005 state conviction for the same charge he faced with the feds – operating an illegal gambling business – which seemed to not have an effect on his conduct. “He plainly thought nothing of breaking the law again,” federal prosecutors stated during sentencing. “The defendant’s criminal conduct only increased (after) 2005, with the games being held in hotels like the Plaza and with the players, including sophisticated and wealthy individuals, who wagered enormous sums of money.”
It was Ting’s responsibility to bring in these “sophisticated and wealthy individuals,” which are allegedly notable names from the film, television and music industries as well as Wall Street bigwigs. Although their names were listed on court documents, they were redacted so that their identities would not become public. Part of the evidence against Ting was a telephone call between Ting and the alleged ringleader of the operation, poker professional Vadim Trincher, in discussing one of these celebrities.
In a February 21, 2012, phone call with Trincher, Ting referred to one of the celebrity players being “in training.” “He plays once in a while but now he’s in training,” the New York Daily News quotes the transcript of this call. Ting promised to ask the celebrity to take a picture with Trincher’s son, with the elder Trincher saying, “Can you call me when he’s (the celebrity) in New York?”
Earlier this month, poker professional Justin “BoostedJ” Smith received his sentence for his involvement in the gambling ring. Smith, who was charged with aiding an illegal sports gambling business, also faced the same five year prison stint that Ting did, but his case was adjudicated with a much lighter sentence. Judge Jesse Furman of the U. S. District Court for the Southern District of New York sentenced Smith to two years of probation for his role in the gambling ring, tacking on another 200 hours of community service on top of his probation.
Of the 34 people originally charged in the Russian gambling ring, 25 of them have reached plea deals with federal prosecutors, according to the Daily News. Those include Trincher and Hillel “Helly” Nahmad, who pled guilty in November to their roles as the “ringleaders” of the gambling ring. It is estimated that the ring trafficked between $50 and $100 million across the United States and overseas to Cyprus and Russia. Trincher is facing the potential of 20 years in jail but will more than likely get a reduced sentence of 21 to 27 months. Nahmad is facing a far stricter sentencing guideline, with his charges totaling 92 years, but it is thought by many legal observers that he would only receive five years at the most.
Two other poker players who were charged in the case, Bill Edler and Peter Feldman, have yet to enter plea agreements with the feds. The alleged “mastermind” of the operation, alleged Russian organized crime figure Alimzhan Tokhtakhounov, is living in Russia and, unless he ventures to a locale with friendly extradition treaties with the U. S. government, will likely never face charges in the United States for this case.
