A Maine man is pleading guilty to running a high-stakes gambling operation from his Portland home and business.
The plea agreement for Stephen Mardigan was entered in federal court Wednesday morning.
Federal officials seized nearly $750,000 from Mardigan and cash and jewelry from others they allege were involved with the gambling operation on April 7, 2017. But he wasn’t charged until papers were filed in a plea agreement. The court documents say he will plead guilty to unlawful gambling, money laundering and filing a false tax report.
According to court filings, Mardigan has admitted to running an illegal gambling operation out of his home on Baxter Boulevard and his business, Avenue Auto, on Forest Avenue, from 2003 to 2017. He took bets on college and pro basketball games, college and pro football, baseball, professional hockey, stock car racing and golf tournaments. The filing says bets typically ranged from $30 to $10,000 but transactions with two gamblers totaled nearly $5 million.
Federal Bureau of Investigation agents wiretapped two different phones beginning in March 2017 on which Mardigan accepted bets, the document said.
This story will be updated.
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