3rd California man pleads guilty to illegal bookmaking scheme at Vegas casino

A third illegal bookmaker from California has signed an agreement to plead guilty to running an illegal bookmaking operation and money laundering in California and in a Las Vegas casino.

Damien LeForbes, a professional poker player based in Long Beach, could be sentenced to up to 15 years in prison, three years of supervised release and fined $500,000.

Court documents only identify the Las Vegas casino as “Casino A,” but LeForbes has been a frequent player at Resorts World Las Vegas, which earlier this month was the subject of a Nevada Gaming Control Board money-laundering complaint.

The plea agreement, filed Monday in federal court in central California and signed by LeForbes in June, says he took millions of dollars in illegal bets over three years and recruited casino hosts to enrich his enterprise, which court documents call “the LeForbes Gambling Business.”

According to court documents, the illegal operation took payments with checks, cash and payment processors and through cryptocurrency.

Earlier this month, Nevada’s Gaming Control Board filed a disciplinary complaint against Resorts World and its affiliated companies, alleging it allowed gamblers with ties to illegal bookmaking and histories of federal felony convictions to play at its casino.

In a 12-count, 31-page complaint, the Control Board said several individuals placed millions of dollars in wagers at Resorts World over several months, damaging the reputation of Nevada’s gaming industry.

Suspected or known felons wagering at Resorts World included Mathew Bowyer, who earlier in the month pleaded guilty to operating an unlawful gambling business, money laundering and subscribing to a false tax return; Edwin Ting, convicted in federal court of conducting an illegal gambling business and known to have ties to organized crime; Chad Iwamoto, convicted in federal court of transmission of wagering information and failing to file monthly tax return for wages; and another individual suspected of being an illegal bookmaker.

In addition to Bowyer and LeForbes, former minor league baseball player Wayne Nix pleaded guilty to illegal bookmaking. His testimony led to former MGM Grand executive Scott Sibella pleading guilty to violations of the Bank Secrecy Act. Sibella also was a former executive at Resorts World.

A Resorts World spokesperson acknowledged the Control Board complaint and said the company is cooperating with authorities on the investigation.

“Resorts World Las Vegas is aware of the Nevada Gaming Control Board complaint,” an emailed statement said. “We are committed to doing business with the utmost integrity and in compliance with applicable laws and industry guidelines. We have been actively communicating with the GCB to resolve these issues so we can move forward and focus on our guests and nearly 5,000 team members.”

Contact Richard N. Velotta at rvelotta@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3893. Follow @RickVelotta on X.