A Florida man faces up to 35 years in prison after pleading guilty to running an illegal sports betting platform and facilitating prostitution at two social clubs. [Image: Shutterstock.com]
A West Palm Beach man faces up to 35 years in prison after pleading guilty to running an illegal sports betting business, as well as charges of prostitution, tax evasion and money laundering.
He admitted to facilitating prostitution on his estate and laundering its proceeds
Dion de Cesar entered a guilty plea in which he would lose five apartments, business property, a Rolex, six vehicles, and nearly $93,000 in cash. The 53-year-old owned and operated two social clubs between April 2008 and November 2022. He admitted to facilitating prostitution on his properties and laundering the proceeds.
De Cesare also operated an online sports betting business between May 2015 and October 2022. He laundered profits by convincing bettors to send payments to third party entities and individuals. Finally, De Cesare failed to pay his personal and payroll taxes related to a restaurant in Florida, resulting in nearly $1.8 million in damages to the IRS.
The verdict will be pronounced later in 2023. In addition to the potential 35 years in prisonHe faces a $1 million fine and dozens of years of supervised release.
