Feds Raid Santa Clarita Home In Probe Linked To Alleged 'Cross-Country' Online Betting Ring

SANTA CLARITA (CBSLA.com) — Federal and local law enforcement agents raided at least one home Wednesday in Santa Clarita as part of an investigation into an alleged Internet sports betting ring, authorities told CBS2/KCAL9.

SKY2 captured video footage over the scene around 10:30 a.m. near Santa Clarita Parkway and Riverrock Way.

The investigation is believed to be linked to a federal indictment of 17 people in Southern California, Nevada, and New York on charges of unlawfully operating a highly sophisticated sports gambling enterprise "that stretched westward from Queens County and utilized offshore-based gambling websites," according to the Queens County District Attorney's Office.

The 126-count indictment (PDF) charged the defendants with enterprise corruption, along with money laundering, promoting gambling and conspiracy. Fourteen of the defendants were in custody, while three more were still being sought.

Authorities say Cyrus Irani, 37, of Santa Clarita, is accused of acting as a "bookmaker who controlled and oversaw the entire operation" that accepted bets on sporting events via offshore website 365Action.com, which allegedly had more than 2,000 active bettors and utilized an 800 phone number.

According to the indictment, the website allowed bettors to wager on both professional and college basketball, football, hockey and baseball games.

Both the website and the toll-free number were allegedly connected to "wire rooms" where the defendants allegedly accepted payments using credit cards and bank deposits ranging from $5,000 to $270,000, prosecutors said.

The District Attorney's office alleges that some of the proceeds went to buy memorabilia, including alleged plans to purchase a classic Batman comic book for $10,000.

More than $3 million has been seized by the FBI from bank accounts allegedly controlled by Irani pursuant to federal seizure warrants, authorities said.

Downey resident Clark Bruner, 56, is alleged to have been Irani's second-in-command and acted as the administrator over the accounts, managed the agents and collected the winnings from the agents, according to prosecutors.

Bruner's sons, Chris Bruner, 30, also of Downey, and Clark "C.J." Bruner, 23, of Menifee, allegedly "answered directly to their father" and managed accounts, paid winners, and collected debts from "losers" who used the website, the District Attorney's office said.

Ten other individuals allegedly acted as agents or sub-agents along with two alleged money collectors and a clerk.

In a statement, former LAPD Chief and New York City Police Commissioner William Bratton said: "This investigation demonstrates how formidable the NYPD's law enforcement partnerships are, facilitating the takedown of a cross-country Internet betting ring that stretches through Nevada and California.

"The suspects in this case mistakenly believed this scheme would remain hidden by the anonymity of the Internet and a click of a mouse, but they were wrong."

If convicted, the defendants each face up to 25 years in prison.