Wild's Vanek implicated in money laundering scheme

[Reggie Dunlop]

http://www.thescore.com/nhl/news/617849

Apparently to cover someone's gambling debts whilst an Islander. This is pretty serious.

[ForeverFlameFan]

Yikes... That's pretty bad.

[dammage79]

Jail time if proven guilty yeah?

[Alberta_Beef]

The NHL better suspend him like they did Voynov.

[JonDuke]

Originally Posted by dammage79

Jail time if proven guilty yeah?

I'd bet yes

[Chill Cosby]

Originally Posted by Alberta_Beef

The NHL better suspend him like they did Voynov.

Probably not yet necessary. Not the same situation.

[Alberta_Beef]

Originally Posted by Chill Cosby

Probably not yet necessary. Not the same situation.

It's a different crime but exactly the same situation.

[JiriHrdina]

Originally Posted by Alberta_Beef

It's a different crime but exactly the same situation.

The fact it is a different crime means its not the same situation

[Chill Cosby]

Originally Posted by Alberta_Beef

It's a different crime but exactly the same situation.

Getting arrested under suspicion of assault is not the same as being implicated by the lawyer of a defendant in a case you're cooperating in.

[GreenLantern2814]

So he paid someone else's debt? Or he was benefitting from money laundering?

Not sure what anyone gains by putting Vanek in jail here.

[Jay Random]

Not sure what the fuss is. According to the various articles at the OP's link, Vanek has been cooperating with federal investigators in the case, he testified before the grand jury, and there are no charges against him.

I am not aware of any law that says you can't pay someone else's debts, even if they happen to be gambling debts. And there certainly isn't any law that makes you guilty of money laundering if you pay honestly earned money to someone who launders other money.

[Zach]

One day there will be a huge leak of info of players fixing games in pro sports. When that will happen I'm not sure but I guarantee it's happening or happened.

[Alberta_Beef]

Originally Posted by JiriHrdina

The fact it is a different crime means its not the same situation

Still being investigated for criminal activity. He should be suspended indefinitely pending an investigation just like Voynov.

[Hugh Jahrmes]

Originally Posted by Alberta_Beef

Still being investigated for criminal activity. He should be suspended indefinitely pending an investigation just like Voynov.

Investigated and charged are two completely different things. Pitchfork mob was so two centuries ago

[getbak]

Originally Posted by Hugh Jahrmes

Investigated and charged are two completely different things. Pitchfork mob was so two centuries ago

I don't believe that Voynov has been charged with anything yet. He was arrested and released on bail and is still awaiting word on whether or not charges will be laid.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports...rest/17961307/

After police interviewed Varlamova at the hospital, Voynov was arrested on suspicion of domestic abuse. The Los Angeles County District attorney office has asked the Redondo Beach Police Department to do more investigating before it decides whether Voynov will be charged.

[Chill Cosby]

Originally Posted by Alberta_Beef

Still being investigated for criminal activity. He should be suspended indefinitely pending an investigation just like Voynov.

He's not being investigated for criminal activity though...

[getbak]

Reading the original story (http://www.democratandchronicle.com/...ruff/18168767/), it doesn't seem like Vanek was involved with any money laundering at all (especially since the whole point of laundering money is to hide the true source of the money).

It looks like all he did was place bets with the illegal bookmaker and lost a considerable amount of money, which he, at least partially, paid off with one of his cheques from the Islanders. Then, the bookmaker laundered the money and was caught doing it. One of the pieces of evidence was the cheque in question -- which is likely why Vanek was called to testify in front of the Grand Jury.

I don't believe Vanek was paying off anyone else's debts. The reason the story uses the term "the bettor" is because no one has confirmed that it was, in fact, Vanek who paid with the cheque. All they know is that "the bettor" paid off his losses with a $230,000 cheque from the Islanders and that Vanek has admitted involvement with these bookies. So, they're basically putting two and two together and assuming that Vanek is "the bettor".


As far as I can tell, the New York State gambling laws are all set up to punish those who operate illegal gambling operations and not the patrons of the illegal gambling operations. Under New York State law, it doesn't appear that Vanek has committed any crimes (unless he was involved in actually operating the bookmaking operation, and there doesn't appear to be any indication that he was).


This seems to be more a case of Ian McLaren badly misreading the original story and writing his story based on that misreading than anything else.

[Poe969]

Moral of the story: nothing hood ever happens when you play for the islanders, this is somehow their fault.

[Vulcan]

That Vanek seems to be gambling on sports is what is disturbing to me. This is also one of the reasons mentioned why no major sports team has gone to Vegas.

[Resolute 14]

Originally Posted by Alberta_Beef

Still being investigated for criminal activity. He should be suspended indefinitely pending an investigation just like Voynov.

It is extremely unlikely that the NHL is not already well aware of this given Vanek has already been participating in the investigation. So while your faux outrage is cute, the situations really aren't comparable at this point.