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Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey announced the arrests last week and laid out the state's case against them. They are, and their charges include:
- Eric Rogers, 54, of Revere: Extortion, conspiracy to commit extortion, witness intimidation, and gambling charges.
- Michael McMahon, 44, of Boston: Extortion, conspiracy to commit extortion, money laundering, and several gambling charges.
- Brian Kelley, 50, of Duxbury: Money laundering and several gambling charges.
The Attorney General's Office says McMahon ran a high-end gambling operation from 2017 through 2019, which made upwards of $2 million a year. Bets were made through an offshore gaming company to provide some cover. Kelly, investigators allege, worked for that gaming company and collected money from illegal bookmakers, and would fly large bags of cash back to Costa Rica to launder the proceeds. Investigators said McMahon paid Kelly more than $234,000 during those two years.
In 2019, Rogers extorted $20,000 from McMahon to secure permission from a larger organized crime syndicate for the illegal bookmaking operation to continue, investigators said.
Police believe Rogers and McMahon extorted one gambler for "vast sums" of cash after they refused to pay a debt. The men threatened violence and used Rogers' connections in organized crime to intimidate the gambler into paying, investigators believe.
A Suffolk County Court arraigned Rogers last week, and a judge ordered him held on a $75,000 cash bail, the Attorney General's Office said. He must also surrender his passport, stay away from witnesses, and adhere to a 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. curfew as part of his pre-trial release. Prosecutors will arraign McMahon and Kelly at a later date.
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