One of the largest agents
Justin Hines — described by the feds as one of the largest agents in Vincent “Uncle Mick” DelGiudice’s Chicago-based sports betting ring — has pleaded guilty to his role in the conspiracy.
Federal courts reporter Jon Seidel took to Twitter October 4 to share news of Hines’ plea.
The 42-year-old Hines submitted his plea before U.S. District Judge Virginia Kendall, becoming the sixth defendant in the case to plead guilty.
According to the Chicago Sun-Times, the indictment that charged Hines and others in the circle alleged DelGiudice recruited Hines “and most of their fellow defendants to work as agents for the gambling ring.”
Hines will face sentencing on January 7.
Uncle Mick’s key agent
Hines was one of eight people charged along with DelGiudice in February 2020.
Hines, according to his plea agreement, was pretty close to DelGiudice, with whom he split winnings and losses 50/50. Hines also met with DelGiudice or his runner, Todd Blanken, to discuss the gambling business on a regular basis. It emerged that Hines promised to deliver $3,000 to DelGiudice via Blanken, and that he had an additional “$600 to $800” which he’d said that he’d give DelGiudice in person over a dinner meet.
the site required a fee of $10,000 per month
The Sun-Times also reported that DelGiudice ran the illegal gambling ring through the website unclemicksports.com. Use of the site required a fee of $10,000 per month to be paid to a company in Costa Rica.
Will Hines do time?
Other notable outtakes from Hines’ plea agreement includes an admission that he told a gambler to pay $26,000 in betting debts “using cashier’s checks in the name of Corvus Consulting S.A.”
It remains to be seen what sentence Judge Kendall will hand down to Hines next year, and whether he’ll also escape time behind bars. Namoff last month became the fifth member of the circle to avoid prison. Last year, Kendall gave DelGiudice’s runner Blanken just six months of community service.
Only two out of the seven sentenced, mob bookie Gregory Paloian and former Chicago policeman Nicholas Stella, received prison terms.
Paloian, however, won a year’s delay on his jail term after a federal court granted his request for compassionate relief based on health reasons.
