A Methuen man was the mastermind behind widespread gambling and drug ventures in Massachusetts and New Hampshire, according to recently unsealed federal court documents.
Federal authorities say Carey Hamilton of 26 Washington St., Unit 33, Methuen, was running a $1-million-a-week sports-betting operation and selling the drug Ecstasy that came to him in shipments of up to 100,000 tablets at a time.
The documents released Sept. 28 also say he may have been involved in a kidnapping intended to intimidate a potential witness.
Hamilton's age was taken out of the court documents released in New Hampshire.
He was arrested July 12, 2006, and released shortly after when he cooperated with a federal investigation into the gambling ring, according to court documents. But the documents state Hamilton had been involved in selling drugs and taking bets since at least 1995.
The release of documents related to Hamilton's arrest is significant not only because it outlines his suspected involvement, but because it illustrates a gambling operation across state lines. That operation reportedly ensnared more than 100 regular bettors, involved single bets up to $50,000, used preprinted betting forms, and employed a hierarchy of highly paid bookies and low-paid "agents."
Hamilton, who authorities said was a bookie, allegedly turned profits of up to $15,000 per week. A confidential informant, who allegedly worked for Hamilton as an agent, said he made between $300 and $500 over the same period, according to the court documents.
One confidential informant said bettors would call in their wagers using code names - "DV," "JC," "Aziz," "Z" and others. In May 2001, while police were searching the home of one alleged bookie - Frank Azorian, whose age and address have been taken out of court documents - a bettor left an answering machine message placing a $4,000 bet on an NBA game, according to court documents.
The case against Hamilton remained sealed until last Thursday. It had originally been sealed because authorities were searching for him. He was subsequently found and released while he cooperated with authorities.
It isn't clear whether Hamilton's case will ever go to trial. Court documents show several trial extensions. The first was in August 2006 and the most recent on Sept. 17 this year.
Federal authorities say Carey Hamilton of 26 Washington St., Unit 33, Methuen, was running a $1-million-a-week sports-betting operation and selling the drug Ecstasy that came to him in shipments of up to 100,000 tablets at a time.
The documents released Sept. 28 also say he may have been involved in a kidnapping intended to intimidate a potential witness.
Hamilton's age was taken out of the court documents released in New Hampshire.
He was arrested July 12, 2006, and released shortly after when he cooperated with a federal investigation into the gambling ring, according to court documents. But the documents state Hamilton had been involved in selling drugs and taking bets since at least 1995.
The release of documents related to Hamilton's arrest is significant not only because it outlines his suspected involvement, but because it illustrates a gambling operation across state lines. That operation reportedly ensnared more than 100 regular bettors, involved single bets up to $50,000, used preprinted betting forms, and employed a hierarchy of highly paid bookies and low-paid "agents."
Hamilton, who authorities said was a bookie, allegedly turned profits of up to $15,000 per week. A confidential informant, who allegedly worked for Hamilton as an agent, said he made between $300 and $500 over the same period, according to the court documents.
One confidential informant said bettors would call in their wagers using code names - "DV," "JC," "Aziz," "Z" and others. In May 2001, while police were searching the home of one alleged bookie - Frank Azorian, whose age and address have been taken out of court documents - a bettor left an answering machine message placing a $4,000 bet on an NBA game, according to court documents.
The case against Hamilton remained sealed until last Thursday. It had originally been sealed because authorities were searching for him. He was subsequently found and released while he cooperated with authorities.
It isn't clear whether Hamilton's case will ever go to trial. Court documents show several trial extensions. The first was in August 2006 and the most recent on Sept. 17 this year.
Attorneys for the prosecution and the defense asked for more time to work out a plea deal.
The case against Hamilton is based on gambling ledgers provided by informants who tracked debts and payments. Authorities also are relying on the testimony of three confidential informants.
And while Hamilton has not been charged with kidnapping, the sworn testimony of a Drug Enforcement Administration officer links him to a 2003 abduction.
DEA agent Todd Prough wrote in a sworn affidavit that Hamilton visited the home of a confidential federal informant on Feb. 26, 2003. The informant called police when Hamilton and another man showed up at his door.
Police responded and told the men to leave. Prough said the two had a knife and handcuffs.
Shortly after, two different men - Marinos Spirakis and Nick Digirolamo - arrived at the informant's home. They abducted and beat the informant, according to Prough. Spirakis and Digirolamo were later charged with kidnapping, Prough wrote.
The charges against Hamilton indicate he had been running gambling and drug operations since 1995, but the operation had expanded by 2000, according to Prough.
In 2001, another informant said the operation was covering $100,000 in sports bets each week during football season. Hamilton was turning a weekly profit of between $5,000 and $15,000, the informant said.
In 2002, an informant said Hamilton's operation was covering as much as $1 million in wagers each week, if one took into account the five bookies working under him.
Also in 2002, the same informant said Hamilton was receiving regular shipments of up to 100,000 tablets of Ecstasy packed in shoe boxes. The drugs were delivered by men called Geo and Socrates, the informant told Prough.
It isn't clear how much jail time Hamilton could face if convicted.
Attempts to contact defense lawyer Anthony Ortiz of Lawrence and U.S. Attorney Terry Ollila of Concord, N.H., were unsuccessful yesterday. DEA spokesman Anthony Pettigrew of Boston could not be reached.
Salem, N.H., police Capt. Shawn Patten said his department wasn't involved in the Hamilton case. The Methuen police had no involvement in the case, either, according to a representative for that department.
