Two Ohio men were handed jail sentences Monday for running illegal gambling operations between 2009 and 2018. In addition to tax and gambling crimes, Christos Karasarides Jr. and Ronald DiPietro faced charges of money laundering, conspiracy, and obstruction of justice.
A federal jury convicted both men in January 2024.
The pair owned multiple businesses, including Redemption and Skilled Shamrock. The latter saw visitors play casino-style slot machines and spend over $34 million, generating $7 million in profits from 2012 to 2017. Karasarides and DiPietro tried to hide their ownership of these businesses through false contracts and nominee owners. Much of the criminal proceeds were used to buy luxury vehicles and properties.
In addition to running these illegal operations, Karasarides Jr. failed to report $2.3 million in income and pay $800,000 in taxes from 2012 to 2018. Karasarides was already in debt to the IRS from another gambling business. DiPietro, a Certified Public Accountant at the time, helped Karasarides make false representations to the IRS.
Karasarides obstructed the investigation in multiple ways, including creating false documents and tax reports. DiPietro and Karasarides cost the IRS $4.7 million and $5.4 million in tax losses, respectively.
Prison sentences
Karasarides was sentenced to 262 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. He must forfeit his residence and $419,768 in cash and pay $5,541,520 in restitution. During his arrest, authorities seized $150,000 in cash from the defendant’s home and another $239,000 from a safe deposit box.
DiPietro was sentenced to 112 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release along with $4,763,520 in restitution.
