Representing Clients Charged In Gambling Cases In The Nashville Area And Nationwide
Although gambling in some forms has received greater societal acceptance in recent years with the growth of lotteries, state legislatures have often reworked laws so that other forms of wagering remain illegal. While some states have chosen to legalize gambling in an effort to boost economic growth, others have not.
Federal prohibitions on gambling, wagering and bookmaking enterprises remain intact under 18 U.S.C. §1955. The federal gambling laws incorporate and defer to the prohibitions set forth under state law. In essence, if gambling is a violation of state law, it will also be a violation of federal law in that particular judicial district.
Although Tennessee has a lottery, it is still illegal to wager with a bookie on a sporting event or to operate a gambling enterprise of any kind (from makeshift casinos, to sports book operators, to animal fighting). Therefore, currently, it is a violation of both Tennessee and federal law to be involved with a gambling enterprise in Tennessee.
With the advent of Internet gambling services and remote book-making, there has been a new breed of federal gambling enterprise prosecutions.
Although it is conceptually hard to reconcile, the federal government requires gambling operations to apply for gambling stamps and file and pay monthly wagering tax returns, but these acts of compliance and the government’s acceptance of a portion of the gambling organization’s revenue does not make it legal to operate the enterprise itself.
Strong Defense Against Gambling Charges
Attorney Kimberly Hodde of Hodde & Associates has successfully represented numerous individuals charged with gambling offenses.
Gambling, wagering and bookmaking enterprise prosecutions almost always involve money laundering and allegations. Ms. Hodde regularly defends persons charged with both forms of money laundering (18 U.S.C. §§1956 & 1957) and with collateral civil or criminal forfeiture matters.
Kim Hodde devotes her law practice exclusively to criminal defense and focuses largely on the defense of federal criminal cases. She is experienced in crafting specialized defenses to gambling enterprise prosecutions, including structuring entrapment-style defenses for those who have complied with the federal civil tax requirements. Many of these gambling prosecutions involve Title III wiretaps and other forms of electronic surveillance, and given her extensive writing and lecturing on this subject, Ms. Hodde is particularly well-suited to defend these cases.
Contact Us
If you have questions regarding gambling enterprise charges, contact Hodde & Associates. Kimberly S. Hodde can be available for evening and weekend appointments. Ms. Hodde is mindful that you may not have budgeted for funding your defense; so, under some circumstances, she will work with defendants and/or their families on a reasonable payment plan. The firm is conveniently located in a freestanding building on Music Row, just one mile from the federal courthouse with an abundant free parking. Contact us at 615-242-4200.