W.W.R. from Las Vegas has been accused of running an illegal sports betting operation. The 57-year-old is challenging the case against him after court records revealed that an undercover witness received between $5,000 and $6,000 from law enforcement for helping investigators.
R. was officially indicted last month on multiple felony charges tied to an alleged illegal bookmaking operation that totaled around $8 million in wagers at Nevada sportsbooks as well as an offshore website based in Costa Rica.
They Unsealed the Transcripts
According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, newly unsealed grand jury transcripts show that Pietro Ventrella, who placed bets through R. and secretly recorded meetings with him, received the payment after assisting the Nevada Gaming Control Board and the FBI with their investigation.
R.’s attorney, Chris Rasmussen, has argued that the payment, along with the conduct of investigators, suffice to raise concerns regarding possible entrapment.
The attorney maintained that his client is a sports information provider and not an illegal bookmaker. The man has repeatedly denied wrongdoing.
“They were pretty aggressive with him, and I thought it was entrapment,” Rasmussen told the newspaper, describing investigators’ efforts to contact R. through his gym and wife.
Undercover Meetings and Recorded Conversations
The investigation reportedly started almost four years ago after the mother of R.’s child, with whom he is involved in an ongoing custody dispute, told the Gaming Control Board that he was operating as a bookie.
The witness, P.V., testified that he connected with R. through R.’s wife after visiting his gym in northwest Las Vegas. He later met R. at a steakhouse inside Caesars Palace, where he recorded their conversation using a phone that investigators had given him.
During the meeting, R. discussed an arrangement involving a Costa Rica-based operation and offered V. a commission of 15% to 20% in exchange for new customers, according to the recording that has been described in court documents.
Investigators also admitted to placing multiple undercover wagers after R. provided them with the account credentials. They said he subsequently sent text messages confirming account balances.
Rasmussen disputes the prosecution’s interpretation of the evidence. He says the Costa Rica reference concerned a website that provides sports betting lines, not a platform facilitating illegal wagers.
R. operates Wild Bill Consulting Inc., a sports information service promoted on Instagram.
The prosecutor, Chief Deputy District Attorney Austin Beaumont, defended the payment to V., saying compensation for confidential sources assisting law enforcement is not unusual.
The FBI and Gaming Control Board declined to comment, while Ventrella could not be reached by the newspaper.
Prosecutors Seek Higher Bail
R. was arrested in April, and the case was briefly dismissed before a grand jury returned an indictment on September 29.
The charges include operating an unlicensed gaming establishment, unlawfully receiving compensation for accepting wagers, attempting to launder money, and accepting unlawful bets.
Judge Carli Kierny initially released R. on his own recognizance, subject to electronic monitoring. He was also ordered to surrender his passport and stay away from gambling establishments while the case is pending.
Prosecutors are now seeking $1 million bail, alleging that R. continued to accept wagers the day after his arrest and used his gym and sports information business to launder money.
Rasmussen disputes those allegations, saying R. has complied with court orders and arguing that the case originated with a false tip. He also said R. rejected a plea offer made in August and continues to maintain his innocence.
The allegations have not yet been resolved in court, and the prosecution’s claims remain contested.