Two former Houston police officers have been linked to an illegal sports betting operation tied to Costa Rica-based online sportsbooks.
On Sunday, the Dallas News revealed that former Houston police sergeants Brian Jordan and Steven Glazman – both 20-year veterans – were relieved of their duties last May after federal authorities raided their homes as part of an illegal betting investigation. Both men have since retired from the force.
The US Attorney’s Office in Planto, Texas named the two officers in forfeiture lawsuits linked to the betting ring, which catered to customers across Texas as well as in at least four other states. The lawsuit claims that the officers, along with a third suspect, Timothy Large, deposited a total of $3.7m into a series of bank accounts in recent years.
Assistant US Attorney Andrew Stover said the ring had been in business since 2010 and utilized “various internet websites hosted in Costa Rica” to handle their wagering business. The lawsuit says Large admitted his involvement to Homeland Security Investigations agents, and that he earned between $200k and $300k per year from bookmaking over the past decade.
While the two officers’ roles in the betting ring haven’t been specified, all three men are facing federal forfeiture demands that include each man’s house and other items, including lots of pricey sports memorabilia. Despite Large’s apparent admission of guilt, each of the three men has filed legal responses over the past month denying any wrongdoing. Jordan told the Dallas News that he “wasn’t involved” and that this fact “will come out in the end.”
Stover’s office took down a similar betting ring a few years ago in Plano. That operation, which handled $5m in wagers before the whip came down, resulted in the seizure of $10m of assets from the 18 individuals who were charged, of which only one – the ringleader – ultimately received a prison sentence.
