Nine men have been indicted by a federal grand jury for alleged involvement in an illegal gambling conspiracy in southwest Missouri.
The US Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Missouri has indicted nine men for alleged involvement in an illegal gambling ring. The suspected crimes took place at six locations across southwest Missouri, with each of the defendants facing multiple charges in the 72-count indictment.
Aged between 38 and 50, the suspects lived across Washington, Georgia, Colorado, and Arkansas, despite the alleged activities taking place in Missouri. All nine have been arrested and were being held for arraignments for some of the group on July 23 and 24.
Nine individuals indicted for alleged involvement in illegal gambling conspiracy at six locations in SW Missouri. Each of the defendants face multiple charges in 72-count indictment. https://t.co/otKX6oJ9UN @HSIKansasCity @FBIKansasCity @SGFPolice @IRS_CI @MSHPTrooperGHQ…
— U.S. Attorney WDMO (@USAO_WDMO) July 25, 2025
“Illegal gambling operations affect the citizens of the neighborhoods and communities where they are located as well as the local economy,” said Acting United States Attorney Jeff Ray.
“We worked closely with our law enforcement partners to shut down this criminal conspiracy and bring those responsible to justice. This case is an example of what can be accomplished when law enforcement agencies work together to tackle organized criminal activity.”
Illegal gambling ring grew to be worth nearly $10 million
The specific charges for all nine defendants include one count each of participating in a conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to operate an illegal gambling business, and operating illegal gambling businesses between July 1, 2022, and May 13, 2025. All nine men were also charged with at least one count of wire fraud, and eight defendants were charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering.
“What began as a local investigation quickly expanded into a large, multi-jurisdictional case resulting in numerous indictments and a significant positive impact across our community,” said Springfield Police Chief Paul Williams. “We’re grateful for the strong partnerships we have with federal agencies that made it possible to build a case of this scale.”
According to the indictment, the defendants ran illegal gambling rings under the guise of internet amusement arcade games, skill game arcades, and adult arcades. In total, the group laundered $9.5 million throughout the various businesses in just over three years – but even that is a small sum in comparison to the profits of some illegal gambling outfits.
To hide their activities, local employees to keep up the fronts of arcade-style businesses, transporting money across several states to deposit in private bank accounts.
“This wasn’t some low-level gambling scheme. It was an organized, multi-million-dollar criminal network that operated brazenly and believed it could stay one step ahead of law enforcement,” said ICE Homeland Security Investigations Kansas City Special Agent in Charge Mark Zito.
“They were mistaken. Through precise coordination, relentless investigation, and cross-agency teamwork, we dismantled their operation piece by piece-locally and overseas. To those still involved in this kind of crime: we’re watching, we’re tracking, and we will shut you down.”
Featured image: Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
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