“Illegal gambling operations can contribute to a decline in the quality of life for communities in which they are being operated. In addition, they tend to attract other types of criminal activity. Investigating illegal gambling operations and money laundering can be complicated and time consuming. Thank you to the special agents who saw this investigation through.” – CSLEA President Alan Barcelona
SACRAMENTO – On March 21, 2022, two Los Angeles-area residents pleaded guilty to operating an illegal gambling business and conspiring to launder money. Pleading guilty were Yosef Yitzchak Beshari, 29, of North Hollywood, and Efraim Journo, 30, of Los Angeles, in related cases.
According to court documents, Beshari and Journo conducted an illegal gambling business involving video slot machines and devices and the sale of credits for online gambling, in Stanislaus County, San Joaquin County, Sacramento County and elsewhere. In addition, Beshari conspired with Schneur Zalman Getzel Rosenfeld, 33, of Los Angeles, who has been charged in a related case, to launder the proceeds of the illegal gambling business by exchanging the cash proceeds for various payments, including checks, direct deposits of purported salary, and a wire transfer to an escrow company for the purchase of Beshari’s house.
In a related case, an indictment charges Los Angeles residents Gal Yifrach, 35, with operating an illegal gambling business and conspiracy to commit money laundering; Nick Shkolnik, 39, with operating an illegal gambling business; and Shalom Ifrah, 32, and Rosenfeld with conspiracy to commit money laundering.
According to court documents, Yifrach and Shkolnik also conducted the illegal gambling business. Yifrach and Ifrah conspired to launder the proceeds of the illegal gambling business in multiple ways, including by exchanging the cash for checks, exchanging the cash for casino chips, and conducting cash exchanges of no more than $10,000 at banks to avoid transaction reporting requirements.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the California Department of Justice – Bureau of Gambling Control.
Beshari and Journo are scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge William B. Shubb on June 27, 2022. They each face a maximum statutory penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine for conducting an illegal gambling business. In addition, Beshari faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison and a $500,000 fine, or twice the value of the monetary instrument or funds involved, whichever is greater, for conspiracy to commit money laundering. Beshari has also agreed to forfeit $250,000.
