Walters has long disputed the federal case against him, and had accused federal officials of leaking grand jury information to the media. An attorney representing Walters in a civil case against the former US attorney and FBI investigator who led the case against him said the noted gambler believes others had their rights violated in a similar fashion, but did not have the resources to pursue their cases.<\/p>\n
A federal judge, though, dismissed that case last September, citing the three-year statute of limitations had expired.<\/p>\n
Walters, in a statement, said his experience made him realize just how essential programs like HOPE for Prisoners were in communities.<\/p>\n
\nI can tell you firsthand that the prison system is broken, and without programs like this, newly released inmates do not have a chance,\u201d<\/strong> he said.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\nMore than 450 people graduate from the Las Vegas program every year. But Walters said more needs to be done.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are 2 million people in the nation’s prisons and jails\u2014a 500% increase over the last 40 years,\u2019\u2019 <\/strong>he said. \u201cI am hopeful that, with this new facility, more people and organizations will see the success of this program and emulate it around the country.”<\/strong><\/p>\nThe donation to HOPE for Prisoners is just the latest contribution Walters has made. Last August, he gave $1 million<\/a> toward covering the cost of changing the name of McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas to honor Harry Reid. That name change officially took place in mid-December, just two weeks before the former US Senate Democratic leader passed away.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A Las Vegas nonprofit organization that helps people transition out of prison announced Friday that it will name its new facility after Billy Walters. Walters, the legendary sports bettor, and his wife, Susan, made a \u201csubstantial gift\u201d to HOPE for Prisoners, according to a release from the organization. That contribution will help fund The Billy […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":45,"featured_media":202069,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
Las Vegas Group HOPE for Prisoners Names New Center for Billy Walters<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n