Crime & Safety

Stamford Man in Mafia-Related Gambling Biz Sentenced

Douglas Corbin, 52, of Stamford, was sentenced Wednesday to 21 months in jail for participating in an organized-crime-related gambling ring in Stamford.

An illegal gambling operation which included a club for card players at 514 Glenbrook Rd. made $1.7 million in an eight-month period, and those who organized it had connections to the Gambino Mafia crime family, according to the U.S. District Attorney's Office for Connecticut.

The U.S. District Attorney's Office issued this news release late Wednesday afternoon about one member of the gambling ring who was sentenced in court:

Deirdre M. Daly, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that Douglas Corbin, 52, of Stamford, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Vanessa L. Bryant in Hartford to 21 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for his involvement in organized crime-controlled illegal gambling businesses. 

Corbin was also ordered to forfeit $100,000.

According to court documents and statements made in court, after a long-term investigation led by the FBI Fairfield County Organized Crime Task Force, the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation and the Stamford Police Department, Corbin, Dean DePreta, Richard Uva and 17 other individuals were charged with various offenses related to their involvement in an illegal Internet sports bookmaking operation and illegal card gambling clubs. 

As part of the conspiracy, DePreta and Uva were involved in the collection and payment of “tribute” payments to Gambino organized crime family associates in New York.

The investigation, which included the use of court-authorized wiretaps, revealed that Corbin was involved in a large-scale sports bookmaking operation in which gamblers placed bets with offshore Internet sports-gambling websites, particularly www.44wager.com based in Costa Rica.

FBI analysis of the sports-betting web site utilized by the defendants determined that the total gross revenues of the Stamford-based gambling operation were nearly $1.7 million from October 2010 to June 2011.

In addition, Corbin and others, operated a card gambling club at 514 Glenbrook Rd. in Stamford, where a house percentage, commonly referred to as a “rake,” was collected from every hand played.

On June 20, 2013, Corbin pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to violate the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO).

DePreta and Uva pleaded guilty to the same charge.  On October 9, 2013, DePreta was sentenced to 71 months of imprisonment and ordered to forfeit $300,000. 

On Oct. 24, 2013, Uva was sentenced to 46 months of imprisonment and ordered to forfeit $250,000.This matter is being investigated by the FBI Fairfield County Organized Crime Task Force, the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, the Stamford Police Department, the Bridgeport Police Department and the Connecticut State Police. 

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Hal Chen and Peter Jongbloed.


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