Press Release A Third Indictment Has Been Issued in Closing Illegal Internet Casinos in Cuyahoga County FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 18, 2013   11 Defendants and 8 Companies Indicted   CLEVELAND- Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Timothy J. McGinty announced the indictment of eleven defendants and eight companies involved in illegal Internet casinos in Cuyahoga County. Today’s indictment is a result of the recent search warrants that were executed on six establishments located in the cities of Euclid, Cleveland, and Westlake. Several individuals and companies named in today’s indictment are operating or working with owners of a multi-state Internet gambling syndicate known as "VS2" that is controlled by a computer server in the New Jersey headquarters of VS2 Worldwide Communications, LLC. VS2 takes twenty-five cents of every dollar gambled on these slot machines. Their master computer tracks all wagers in New Jersey. In return, VS2 pays the necessary tribute to the politicians’ political funds in the various states and city councils, delays law enforcement by obstructive legal tactics with frivolous civil lawsuits, and otherwise provides attorney’s to defend the organization. If the local casino franchise owner does not pay in full and on time, VS2 disconnects their service and their casino is forced to close. In order to make the tracking of the millions of dollars in illegal gambling proceeds more difficult for law enforcement, VS2 operates largely with money orders and cash. Prosecutor McGinty said, "There is no illegal casino that is safe from a search and seizure of its slot machines and illicit profits, nor are their operators safe from arrest in Cuyahoga County. Anyone who plans on continuing to commit felonies should have a lawyer and a toothbrush ready because they will need both." To date, the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office with assistance from New Jersey Law Enforcement Officials has seized approximately $84,000 in cash and $510,000 from various bank accounts. The eleven defendants and eight companies were indicted on counts of engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity, a first degree felony; possessing criminal tools, a fifth degree felony; gambling, a misdemeanor of the first degree; gambling, a fifth degree felony; operating a gambling house, a misdemeanor of the first degree; and money laundering, a third degree felony. The defendants are: 1) Phillip Cornick, 51, of Jackson, New Jersey 2) Richard Upchurch, 59, of Ramseur, North Carolina 3) Michael Koty, 50, of Bloomsbury, New Jersey 4) Georgia Buresti, 68, of Parma Heights 5) George Hasrouni, 42, of Stow 6) Sreyleak Ny, 30, of Parma 7) Robert Rogers, 40, of Westlake 8) Terry Fiala, 60, of Bay Village 9) George Georgekopoulos, 38, of Massillon 10) Pete Georgekopoulos, 41, of Massillon 11) Christos Karasarides, Jr, 47, of Canton 12) VS2 Worldwide Communications, LLC 13) P&E Technologies, Inc.

14) Elite Entertainment, Inc. dba VS2 Marketing Group
15) CKare Corp
16) Buresti Enterprises, Inc.
17) Hasrouni Investments, Inc. dba Emerald Isle
18) Black Diamond Tech, LLC dba Collinwood Cyber Café
19) Cyber Time Café Westlake, LLC dba Infinity 2

Illegal internet casinos will continue to be investigated.

In a joint effort, the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office and the following agencies have been involved in this ongoing investigation: Ohio Investigative Unit of the Ohio Department of Public Safety, the Parma Heights Police Department, the Ohio Attorney General’s Office, the Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI), U.S. Secret Service, U.S. Marshal Service, Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Department, and U.S. Postal Inspection Service.

Contact: Maria (Pinzone) Russo, Public Information Officer, (216) 698-2819, cell (216) 299-9326 or mrusso@prosecutor.cuyahogacounty.us

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Other info is at:  http://www.wsmv.com/story/21550956/9-defendants-and-5-companies-indicted