Ohio Man Sentenced for Tax Evasion, Money Laundering and Operating an Illegal Gambling Business

An Ohio man was sentenced to over seven years in prison today for tax, money laundering and gambling crimes arising out of his ownership and operation of illegal gambling businesses and related misconduct.

According to court documents and statements made in court, from 2009 through 2022, Steven Saris owned and operated multiple illegal gambling businesses in Northeast Ohio - including Café 62, Lucky's, Winner's World, Spin City and another business in Springfield, Ohio - as well as in Florida. Saris concealed his involvement in and income from these businesses by having others serve as nominee owners, and by destroying and directing others to destroy business records.

For tax year 2015, Saris filed a false tax return that did not report more than $1.4 million in income he received from his illegal gambling businesses. For tax years 2016 through 2021, Saris did not file tax returns or pay all the tax that he owed despite earning more than $9 million in income from his gambling businesses. During that time, Saris made only two nominal payments to the IRS in 2018 when he filed an application for an extension of time to file his 2017 return. Saris used his proceeds from the businesses to gamble millions at legal casinos and to acquire and renovate at least two residential properties located in Canton, Ohio.

Saris's conduct caused a tax loss of $2,823,391.

In July 2018, law enforcement executed search warrants at multiple illegal gambling businesses and associated locations in Northeast Ohio. Following those search warrants, Saris made false statements to law enforcement. At the same time, Saris continued operating the illegal gambling businesses and did not disclose that to law enforcement. In August 2022, law enforcement executed a court authorized search warrant at Saris' residence and for his cell phone. Upon learning of the search warrant for his cell phone, Saris told law enforcement that he did not know the location of his cell phone. Law enforcement recovered Saris' cell phone from the water tank of a toilet in Saris' residence.

In addition to his prison sentence, U.S. District Judge Donald C. Nugent for the Northern District of Ohio ordered Saris to serve three years of supervised release and pay $2,823,391 in restitution to the United States.

Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department's Tax Division and U.S. Attorney Rebecca C. Lutzko for the Northern District of Ohio made the announcement.

IRS Criminal Investigation; the Stark County, Ohio, Prosecutor's Office; the U.S. Department of Treasury Office of Inspector General; Homeland Security Investigations; the Ohio Casino Control Commission and the Ohio Organized Crime Investigations Commission, Major Crimes Task Force investigated the case.

Trial Attorneys Sam Bean and Hayter Whitman of the Justice Department's Tax Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney David Toepfer for the Northern District of Ohio prosecuted the case.