California man caught in illegal gambling business pleads guilty

• One Calabasas, California, man faced scrutiny over allegedly engaging in illegal gambling, evading taxes and laundering money
• The suspect pleaded guilty earlier this week
• If found guilty, the Calabasas man may face a tough penalty of more than 10 years in prison

A man who played an important part in an illegal gambling operation and evaded taxes pleaded guilty on Wednesday.

The Office of Public Affairs with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) confirmed details regarding the criminal case involving a California man.

The suspect failed to pay taxes on an income of more than $4m

The Calabasas resident, whose name is Jason Noah Feinman, according to a DOJ statement, pleaded guilty to tax evasion, money laundering and operating an illegal gambling business.

The criminal case is investigated by the Department of Homeland Security's Homeland Security Investigations, as well as the IRS Criminal Investigation's International Tax and Financial Crimes group.

What's more, the case is prosecuted by Attorneys John C. Gerardi and Charles A. O’Reilly of the Criminal Division's Tax Section.

Court documents suggest that Feinman avoided paying taxes on more than $4m in income.

The Calabasas resident allegedly "operated a Costa Rica-based business that, among other things, ran a website that unlicensed and illegal gambling businesses used to facilitate their gambling activities by permitting their customers, including customers who lived in California, to place bets through websites the defendant maintained," the DOJ's statement explains.

His actions are in violation of the established state and federal laws.

The Calabasas resident's sentencing is planned in May

Court documents described Feinman's actions as laundering money by exchanging cash for checks made out to him or one of his businesses.

The suspects' actions spanned from 2018 through 2022 and according to the DOJ, in that time, the suspect concealed up to $4,198,136 of income.

The estimated total tax loss to the United States is no more than $1,524,528, court documents reveal.

Considering Feinman's actions, he may face a maximum of 10 years in prison on the money laundering charge, as well as five years in prison for the illegal gambling and tax evasion charges.

His punishment will be determined in accordance with the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, along with other statutory factors.

Feinman's sentencing is scheduled for May 12, 2026.

Image credit: Pixabay.com