{"id":30446,"date":"2015-08-10T14:46:46","date_gmt":"2015-08-10T21:46:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/?p=30446"},"modified":"2015-08-10T14:47:58","modified_gmt":"2015-08-10T21:47:58","slug":"brothers-sentenced-to-federal-prison-for-running-macho-sports-betting-ring","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/brothers-sentenced-to-federal-prison-for-running-macho-sports-betting-ring\/","title":{"rendered":"Brothers Sentenced to Federal Prison for Running Macho Sports Betting Ring"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Macho
The Portocarrero brothers pleaded guilty to operating an illegal sports betting ring known as Macho Sports. (image: AP File Photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Portocarrero brothers may have made a small fortune through an illegal sports betting ring, but they\u2019ll now be spending most of the next two years in jail.<\/p>\n

A District Court judge sentenced Jan Harald Portocarrero and Erik Portocarrero to prison time for being the leaders of Macho Sports, an illegal international sports betting ring.<\/p>\n

Each of the two men was forced to pay a $50,000 fine. Jan Harald was sentenced to 18 months in prison as well, while Erik will be imprisoned for 22 months.<\/p>\n

The two men also forfeited about $3 million in assets held in the United States and Norway, including one check they turned over in the courtroom that was worth $1.7 million.<\/p>\n

Bets Primarily Taken from Southern California<\/b><\/h2>\n

The brothers had pleaded guilty to racketeering charges after admitting to running a sports betting operation that took in millions in bets over the past decade.<\/p>\n

Their primary markets were in the San Diego and Los Angeles areas, where they took bets on both college and professional games.<\/p>\n

When the two men first realized they were under investigation by the FBI, they moved to Lima, Peru in order to continue their operations.<\/p>\n

From there, the operation, known as Macho Sports, continued to take bets from California<\/a> using the Internet and telephone lines.<\/p>\n

Over time, the operation gained a reputation for using intimidation and violence to collect on debts. Lead bookie Amir Mokayef, who recruited customers in San Diego, was witnessed by FBI agents beating up a gambler who refused to pay up.<\/p>\n

In 2013, a total of 18 people connected to the ring were indicted, all of whom have now pleaded guilty to various charges. A total of just under $12 million in assets were seized as a part of the operation.<\/p>\n

Long Extradition Battle Preceded Sentencing<\/b><\/h2>\n

Erik Portocarrero nearly managed to avoid being brought to justice, however.<\/p>\n

Although he was arrested in Oslo, Norway (where his mother lives), he attempted to fight extradition to the United States, leading to a 22-month court battle that ultimately ended with Norway\u2019s government ordering him to be sent back to San Diego.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo longer can their global Macho Sports enterprise engage in violence, threats and intimidation to amass illegal profits,\u201d said US Attorney Laura Duffy.<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

While the Portocarrero brothers will now spend time in prison, the length of those terms may seem surprisingly short.<\/p>\n

The government had recommended slightly longer sentences: 33 months for Erik, and 27 months for Jan Harald, and they could have potentially faced up to 20 years in prison if they had received the maximum allowed sentences.<\/p>\n

According to the New York Post, the much lighter prison terms upset at least one victim of the betting organization.<\/p>\n

\u201cGive all the hard work and the thousands of man-hours the FBI<\/a> and [Department of Justice] spent on this case, this result sends a clear but disturbing message: you can break the law, commit acts of violence, be sentenced under the RICO Act and get a slap on the wrist,\u201d the Post quoted an unnamed victim as saying.<\/p>\n

A sentencing hearing for Joseph Barrios, another of the head bookmakers for Macho Sports who has already pleaded guilty, is scheduled to take place on September 11.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Portocarrero brothers may have made a small fortune through an illegal sports betting ring, but they\u2019ll now be spending most of the next two years in jail. A District Court judge sentenced Jan Harald Portocarrero and Erik Portocarrero to prison time for being the leaders of Macho Sports, an illegal international sports betting ring. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":42,"featured_media":30452,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21,13,16],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nBrothers Sentenced to Federal Prison for Running Macho Sports Betting Ring<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Erik and Jan Harald Portocarrero were each sentenced to nearly two years in prison for operating an illegal sports betting ring known as macho sports.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Brothers Sentenced to Federal Prison for Running Macho Sports Betting Ring\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Erik and Jan Harald Portocarrero were each sentenced to nearly two years in prison for operating an illegal sports betting ring known as macho sports.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/brothers-sentenced-to-federal-prison-for-running-macho-sports-betting-ring\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Casino.org\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Casino.OrgNews\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2015-08-10T21:46:46+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2015-08-10T21:47:58+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/041811-sports-betting.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"553\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"369\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Casino.org Staff Writer\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@Casino_Org\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@Casino_Org\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Casino.org Staff Writer\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/brothers-sentenced-to-federal-prison-for-running-macho-sports-betting-ring\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/brothers-sentenced-to-federal-prison-for-running-macho-sports-betting-ring\/\",\"name\":\"Brothers Sentenced to Federal Prison for Running Macho Sports Betting Ring\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/brothers-sentenced-to-federal-prison-for-running-macho-sports-betting-ring\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/brothers-sentenced-to-federal-prison-for-running-macho-sports-betting-ring\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/041811-sports-betting.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2015-08-10T21:46:46+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2015-08-10T21:47:58+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/8c48bf89dc86da77b4d856c7b3b78d77\"},\"description\":\"Erik and Jan Harald Portocarrero were each sentenced to nearly two years in prison for operating an illegal sports betting ring known as macho sports.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/brothers-sentenced-to-federal-prison-for-running-macho-sports-betting-ring\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/brothers-sentenced-to-federal-prison-for-running-macho-sports-betting-ring\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/brothers-sentenced-to-federal-prison-for-running-macho-sports-betting-ring\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/041811-sports-betting.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/041811-sports-betting.jpg\",\"width\":553,\"height\":369,\"caption\":\"The Portocarrero brothers pleaded guilty to operating an illegal sports betting ring known as Macho Sports. 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