Gujarat-origin man pleads guilty in $9.5 million gambling racket in US | Ahmedabad News
AHMEDABAD: A Gujarat-origin man residing in the United States, on Wednesday, pleaded guilty in a multimilliondollar illegal gambling conspiracy case that operated across southwest Missouri.He admitted to his role in a racket that generated nearly $9.5 million (around Rs 81 crore) in illegal proceeds, according to a release issued by the US Department of Justice.Tushar Patel, 40, currently living in Georgia, pleaded guilty before a federal court in Springfield, Missouri, to charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to operate an illegal gambling business, and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
According to US prosecutors, Patel and his associates ran a network of illegal gambling establishments disguised as internet amusement arcades, skill-game centres and adult arcades. The businesses allegedly operated gambling devices, contests of chance and slot-machine-style games in violation of federal andMissouri laws. Patel admitted that he and his co-conspirators collectively earned about $9.5 million in gross proceeds from the illegal operations and subsequently carried outfinancial transactions to conceal and launder the money.The case is part of a larger federal prosecution in which Patel and eight others were named in a 72-count superseding indictment returned by a grand jury in May 2025. Investigators alleged that the conspiracy was hatched and executed between July 2022 and May 2025 through multiple locations across southwest Missouri.Federal authorities said the accused hired local employees to run the establishments while presenting them as legitimate entertainment businesses. Investigators later determined that the operations were effectively functioning as illegal gambling centres. Patel’s guilty plea marks a significant breakthrough for prosecutors, although cases against several co-accused remain pending. Under US federal law, Patel faces a maximum sentence of 20 years for conspiracy to commit wire fraud, five years for conspiracy to operate an illegal gambling business, and 20 years for conspiracy to commit money laundering.
