Hammond Man Pleads Guilty to Operating an Illegal Gambling Business and Tax Evasion

NEW ORLEANS—JOSEPH A. SCHILLACE IV, age 51, a resident of Hammond, Louisiana, pled guilty in federal court today before U.S. District Judge Nannette Jolivette Brown to operating an illegal gambling business and tax evasion, announced U.S. Attorney Jim Letten.

According to court documents, from on or about January, 1999, and continuously thereafter up to and including April 7, 2011, SCHILLACE did conduct, finance, manage, supervise, direct, and own all or part of an illegal gambling business, to wit: a gambling business involving sports betting. Specifically, SCHILLACE established a “call center” in an apartment in Hammond, Louisiana which was outfitted with multiple telephone lines and computer access. Gamblers seeking to place monetary bets with SCHILLACE’S operation called in to the center and placed their bets with one of several individuals within SCHILLACE’S organization whose responsibility it was to answer the calls and record the bets. After the sporting event, SCHILLACE or one of his associates would collect the gambling losses from or pay out the gambling winnings to each gambler. Regardless of the result of the bet, SCHILLACE’S gambling operation would keep a percentage or commission of each bet placed, commonly referred to as the “juice.” The gambling operation involved five or more persons who conducted, financed, managed, supervised, directed, or owned all or part of said illegal gambling business, which remained in substantially continuous operation for a period in excess of thirty days and had a gross revenue of at least $2,000.00 in any single day.

Further, for the calendar years 2004 through and including 2011, SCHILLACE did willfully attempt to evade and defeat a large part of the income and excise tax due and owing by him to the United States of America by concealing and attempting to conceal from the Internal Revenue Service the nature and extent of his income and gross wagers received by intentionally preparing and causing to be prepared, and by signing and causing to be signed, false and fraudulent Forms 1040, U.S. Individual Income Tax Return, and Forms 730, Monthly Tax Return for Wagers, on his behalf, which were filed with the Internal Revenue Service and which said returns reported amounts of his taxable income, income taxes and excise taxes due and owing thereon which the defendant then and there well knew and believed were substantially less than his actual taxable income, income taxes and excise taxes due and owing for the aforementioned months and years

The defendant faces a maximum prison term of five years in prison on each count and a fine of up to $250,000.00. Sentencing is scheduled for April 26, 2012.

This matter was investigated by special agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Department of the Treasury, Internal Revenue Service. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Brian Marcelle.