After pleading guilty to one federal misdemeanor records keeping charge earlier in the year, prominent sports wagering specialist, David Oancea (pictured), has now reportedly been ordered to avoid sportsbooks in Las Vegas for the next three years.
‘Vegas Dave’ notoriety:
According to a Monday report from the Las Vegas Review-Journal newspaper, the 42-year-old American is widely known by his nickname of ‘Vegas Dave’ and had gained fa 7BALL me and fortune by being able to correctly predict the outcome of long-shot sports wagers.
Federal charges:
However, Oancea was facing the prospect of spending the next 40 years on his life in prison over claims that he had used other people’s Social Security Numbers in order to open sportsbetting accounts at multiple casinos in and around Las Vegas. Federal prosecutors had contended that the alleged crimes had taken place over the course of the twelve months to February of 2016 involving transactions totaling over $1.2 million.
Plea deal:
But, Oancea worked out a deal in January that saw him avoid jail time by admitting to the one records keeping charge. As a result, Judge Jennifer Dorsey from the United States District Court for the District of Nevada ordered the wayward defendant to serve a three-year term on probation that encompasses the Las Vegas sportsbook prohibition.
Additional stipulations:
The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported that the Monday sentence from Judge Dorsey will also require Oancea to seek treatment for a gambling problem, repay $550,000 as part of a related civil forfeiture and serve 150 hours of community service. This came despite the fact that federal prosecutors had asked for the errant sportsbetting guru to be sentenced to five years on probation and be required to serve some 300 hours of community service.
Judge Dorsey’s penalty moreover includes a provision that will allow Oancea to travel to Mexico so that he may oversee property he owns in the resort city of Cabo San Lucas.
Social media star:
Finally, Oancea appeared visibly relieved as he left the Lloyd D George Federal District Courthouse on Monday afternoon and that he had subsequently used social media to tell his over one million followers that he had ‘bet on myself’ and had been determined ‘to stand up for my constitutional rights and to defend my freedom and innocence.’