Donald Guerrero would have made use of a non-governmental structure through the Ministry of Finance, where illegal processes were carried out with the Directorate of Casino and Games of Chance, a dependency of said Ministry, during the period 2016-2020, which served the interests of the then minister, now under investigation, and which consisted of illegally charging sports benches, lotteries and grocery stores, who had to pay a monthly payment otherwise they would be closed by the Treasury.
This is established in the search request approved by Judge Kenya Romero at the request of the Special Prosecutor for the Prosecution of Administrative Corruption (PEPCA), in the so-called Operation Squid, which involves former Ministers of Finance, Donald Guerrero; of Public Works, Gonzalo Castillo, and Administrative of the Presidency, José Ramón Peralta, as well as other officials of the past administration of former President Danilo Medina.
According to the document, the investigated Donald Guerrero used the aforementioned structure composed of the investigated Mimilo Jiménez, Fernando Crisóstomo, José Arturo Ureña, José Pablo Ortiz Giraldo, through the Directorate of Casino and Games of Chance, a dependency of the Ministry of Finance in charge of regularize and monitor sports benches, lotteries and the use of slot machines.
He indicates that during the administration of the former Minister of Finance, he had Oscar Arturo Chalas Guerrero as director, who was later replaced by Julián Omar Fernando Figueroa, who were part of the so-called bench project. Both - adds PEPCA - received instructions from Donald Guerrero to make irregular charges to different businesses with games of chance, under the threat of being closed by the Treasury.
The team, he points out, acted under the direction of the structure led in the operational part by Mimilo Jiménez, José Arturo Ureña, Fernando Crisóstomo, among others.
The document details that José Arturo Ureña introduces Frixo Messina Arvelo to the Corruption structure, which was in charge of the illegal collection of sports benches, lotteries and the use of slot machines within the Directorate of Casino and Games of Chance of the Ministry of Finance. Messina Arvelo entered from March 4, 2017 until August 8, 2020, holds the position of Operations Manager.
PEPCA explains that the illegality of this project consisted in the fact that collection management was not going to be carried out by State agencies, but rather by the non-governmental structure with the support of those in charge of the Directorate of Casino and Games of Chance, together with the inspectors of the Ministry of Finance, "therefore, the money obtained from the fraudulent collection was not received by the Dominican State, but by the corruption structure led by Donald Guerrero."
"The sports bench, lottery and slot machine project generated millions in sums, since for this concept an average of twenty-two million pesos came in per month for the benefit of the corruption structure led by Donald Guerrero and to the detriment of the Dominican State," says the Anti-corruption attorney.
It maintains that the members of the alleged corruption structure created the fraudulent maneuver to defraud the Dominican State and obtain millions in amounts, "all under the cloak and protection of the Minister of Finance, Donald Guerrero, who facilitated the means to allow the illegal collection, circumventing all processes." administrative and legal control.
That's how it worked
The PEPCA, in the request for a court order for the searches signed by Kenya Romero, describes that as a result of this so-called project or program, the operation of sports and lottery benches was detected illegally, which continue to operate clandestinely, as well as the use of slot machines in places not allowed by law: The existence of the prize envelope, that is to say that they pay more than what is allowed to pay for the play won, the lottery benches to check the computerized quick draw system, the without licenses and lottery benches with licenses but not up to date with the payment of taxes, sports benches that are not up to date with the payment of taxes, sports benches with slot machines, without authorization, sports benches with slot machines that are not up to date with the payment of taxes, grocery stores and grocery stores that have slot machines.
The project or program, the document states, "was a kind of extortion where the owners of benches with people like José Melchor González Calderón, owner of the lottery bank La suerte, King, Salce and sports bank Joel Sport, Out 27, Sport and King Sport, had to make payments to the corruption structure, otherwise the Casino and Games of Chance Directorate proceeded to close the banks and seize slot machines.
The project or program, the document states, "was a kind of extortion where the owners of benches with people like José Melchor González Calderón, owner of the lottery bank La suerte, King, Salce and sports bank Joel Sport, Out 27, Sport and King Sport, had to make payments to the corruption structure, otherwise the Casino and Games of Chance Directorate proceeded to close the banks and seize slot machines.
In that order, he assures that only José Melchor González Calderón made 43 payments of one million pesos, that is, 43 million pesos to the alleged corruption structure.
The investigated Oscar Arturo Chalas Guerrero and Julián Omar Fernando Figueroa, received two million pesos, a month, in cash, for being part of the structure, supporting it from their functions so that the operations could be carried out against those who did not make payments to the structure. or violate their rules.
Operation Squid
The Public Ministry launched Operation Squid on Saturday night, after a complex investigation carried out by the Specialized Prosecutor for the Prosecution of Administrative Corruption (PEPCA).
In the operation, 40 raids were carried out distributed in the National District, Santo Domingo province, San Pedro de Macorís and La Romana, in which 40 prosecutors, dozens of technicians from different investigation units, 300 members of the National Police and a Extensive administrative support team.
Among those arrested to be presented as a request for a measure of coercion are the former Minister of Finance, Donald Guerrero; former administrative minister of the presidency, José Ramón Peralta; former Minister of Public Works Gonzalo Castillo; former Comptroller General of the Republic, Daniel Omar Caamaño; the former director of the State Sugar Council (CEA), Luis Miguel Piccirilo; former director of the National Cadastre, Claudio Silver Peña, and former directors of Casinos and Gambling, Oscar Chalas Guerrero and Julián Omar Fernández.
Also arrested are Roberto Santiago Moquete, Agustín Mejía Ávila, Emil Dávila Fernández, Marcial Reyes, Alejandro Constanzo, Yahaira Brito Encarnación and Ana Linda Fernández.
The preliminary accusation of the Public Ministry against the defendants is of association of criminals, embezzlement, coalition of officials, falsification of public and private documents, bribery and illicit campaign financing on an unprecedented scale, money laundering, among others.
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Representatives of the Secretariat of Prizes and Betting (SPA) of Brazil met with authorities of the Buenos Aires Lottery (LOTBA), taking advantage of their visit to Buenos Aires during the CIBELAE 2024 Conference.
Simone Vicentini [pictured] , deputy secretary of the SPA, had a meeting with Jesús Acevedo, president of LOTBA, and his team, a meeting in which executives from Gaming Laboratories International (GLI), a certification company approved in both jurisdictions, also participated.
The participation of SPA members in the Cibelae 2024 Conference revolved around this year's central theme: "Sports Betting in Latin America: approaches to a developing market." The SPA, created in February of this year to regulate sports betting and online casino games, plans to develop and implement a regulatory framework for online gaming, payment methods, strategies for responsible gaming and prevention of money laundering.
All these areas are of reference for the LOTBA, and the meeting also served to share that experience.
The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) published the new General Competition Regulations (RGC) of 20241. This document establishes the general norms and rules for the dispute of all championships organized by the entity. One of the most notable novelties of the new RGC is the regulation on betting house sponsorships on club uniforms. According to Article 114, the display of betting house brands on club uniforms is conditional on compliance with the requirements set forth in Law 14790/2023 and in the regulations of the Ministry of Finance.
Law 14790 on Sports Betting came into force on December 29. This rule and the regulation of the Ministry of Finance are fundamental for the implementation of the new rules on betting house sponsorships.
The new RGC also reinforces integrity actions and combats the manipulation of results. The CBF may request the production of a report by a company specialized in the detection of manipulation of results. In addition, sports betting companies must submit a declaration of non-involvement in any economic infringement or ethical violation related to the manipulation of sports results.
In recent months, Coljuegos has dismantled illegal betting houses that would have stopped transferring nearly usd $20million annually in exploitation rights.
A total of 445 gambling elements such as slot machines, computer equipment, roulette wheels, televisions, among others, were destroyed by Coljuegos in the municipality of Itagüí, Antioquia. All these items were used in illegal gambling and were valued at nearly usd$500k.
“We have another 4,600 illegal elements of games of luck and chance that will be destroyed in the coming days in municipalities such as Cali and Bucaramanga.”
Likewise, during the destruction of the items, $23,751,050 ( usd $4,500 )in coins and bills were found that were inside the electronic slot machines. These resources are constituted as a judicial deposit in the name of Coljuegos and may be transferred to health.
Senator Rodrigo Pacheco (PSD-MG), president of the Senate, announced the senators appointed to join the Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry (CPI) on Sports Betting.
The CPI’s purpose is to investigate and clarify issues related to allegations and suspicions of match-fixing in Brazilian football.
The collegiate has scheduled its first session for Wednesday, where it will elect the president, vice-president and possibly the rapporteur. The complaints being investigated by the CPI cover players, managers, and betting companies. The creation of the CPI was announced on March 12.
Sports betting CPI: investigation and objectives
Senator Romário (PL-RJ) requested the CPI, which will have 11 full senators and 7 substitutes, lasting 180 days. In the application (RQS 158/2024), the senator emphasizes that sports betting represents a significant financial movement today.
“It is important to highlight that football is a vital economic activity for the country. Thus, it generates tens of thousands of jobs and drives significant income generation. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the State to regulate and supervise its activities in favor of the public interest”, argues the senator.
Hosted at the prestigious Transamerica Expo Centre in São Paulo, this two-day expo and conference marks a triumphant return after a successful inaugural launch last year. With renowned brazilian social media icons, Negrete and Ronald Lopes. Negrete, with a staggering four million Instagram followers, has captivated audiences with his comedic sports videos, particularly his uncanny player imitations, propelling him to social media superstardom.
Lopes’ impact on the industry is evident, as evidenced by his back-to-back wins for Best affiliate of the year at the Bis Awards in 2023 and Best affiliate influencer at the SiGma Awards 2023.
Originally aspiring to be a footballer, Negrete’s trajectory took an unexpected turn when he assumed the role of Pelé’s stunt double in an autobiographical movie about the football legend. Adding to his accolades, Negrete clinched the coveted Best Influencer 2024 award at the SiGma Eurasia Awards held in Dubai this February, further solidifying his status as a trailblazer in the influencer landscape.
Meanwhile, Ronald Lopes, a self-proclaimed financially retired iGaming luminary, is embarking on a mission to guide 300 Brazilians to multimillionaire status this year through the P4P market – an extraordinary journey he plans to share with delegates during the upcoming SiGma conference.
Lopes’ impact on the industry is evident, as evidenced by his back-to-back wins for Best affiliate of the year at the Bis Awards in 2023 and Best affiliate influencer at the SiGma Awards 2023.
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