A West Palm Beach man is facing up to 35 years in prison after pleading guilty to operating an illegal sports betting business, as well as charges relating to prostitution, tax evasion, and money laundering.
admitted to facilitating prostitution at his properties and laundering the proceeds
Dion De Cesare submitted a guilty plea that will see him forfeit five condos, two commercial properties, a Rolex watch, six vehicles, and about $93,000 in cash. The 53-year-old owned and ran two social clubs between April 2008 and November 2022. He admitted to facilitating prostitution at his properties and laundering the proceeds.
De Cesare also operated an online sports betting business between May 2015 and October 2022. He laundered the profits by getting bettors to send payments to third-party entities and individuals. Finally, De Cesare failed to pay his personal and payroll taxes relating to a Florida restaurant, leading to a restitution payment of nearly $1.8m to the IRS.
His sentencing will take place later in 2023. In addition to the potential 35 years in prison, he faces a $1m fine, and a dozen years of supervised release.