A local attorney and two area businessmen were sentenced to terms of court supervised probation and fines of $2,000.00 each for their roles in a large scale sports betting operation, United States Attorney Barbara L. McQuade announced today.
United States Attorney McQuade was joined in the announcement by Andrew G. Arena, Special Agent in Charge of the Detroit, Michigan Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Chief Lee Gavin of the Dearborn Heights Police Department.
On July 19, 2010, United States District Court Judge John Corbett O’Meara sentenced DAVID ALAN STRONSKI, age 56, of Grosse Pointe Park, Michigan to a term of 24 months’ probation and ordered that Stronski pay an additional fine of $2,000.00. Also on July 19, 2010, Judge O’Meara sentenced JOHN STEPHEN SHELLY, age 50, of St. Clair Shores, Michigan to a term of 12 months’ probation and a fine of $2,000.00. On July 13, 2010, Judge O’Meara sentenced CHRISTOPHER GRODZICKI, age 67, of Dearborn, Michigan to a term of 24 months' probation and a fine of $2,000.00.
The felony convictions arose from the defendants' involvement in a multi-state organization that generated hundreds of thousands of dollars in profits from individuals who bet on professional and collegiate athletic events, including the Super Bowl and the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. The betting activities were conducted at bars, restaurants, and other businesses located in Detroit and Dearborn. According to court documents, the subject organization made as much as $25,000.00 a week from illegal betting activities.
United States Attorney McQuade stated that, as part of the same prosecution, law enforcement agencies seized and forfeited over $412,000.00 in illegal gambling proceeds and properties used to conduct the gambling operations.
Ms. McQuade stated, “Illegal gambling is a big business that corrupts sports leagues and athletes. We want to put people on notice that gambling on professional and amateur sports is a crime, and it will be prosecuted.“ Ms. McQuade singled out the Special Operations Bureau of the Dearborn Heights Police Department for its outstanding efforts on behalf of the investigation.
Special Agent in Charge Arena stated, “Illegal gambling is by no means a victimless crime. The FBI, with the cooperation of our law enforcement partners, is committed to aggressively investigate illegal sports betting and illegal criminal enterprises.”
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Dearborn Heights, Michigan Police Department.
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