The insider trading probe into Amaya Gaming’s purchase of the parent company of online gambling site PokerStars officially got weird on Tuesday following media reports that one of the alleged profiteers is a senior member of the Hell’s Angels motorcycle gang.
On Tuesday, Montreal’s La Presse reported that the Royal Canadian Mounted Police are investigating Salvatore Cazzetta, the former head of the Rock Machine biker gang who has since switched allegiance to the Hell’s Angels, for his possible investments in Amaya prior to last June’s $4.9b acquisition of the Rational Group.
La Presse quoted a source that claimed Cazzetta’s Amaya investment was only around $10k, a “personal and small investment.” Cazzetta is currently awaiting trial in Quebec on fraud and conspiracy charges relating to the importation of untaxed cigarettes. Cazzetta previously served a lengthy stint in prison after being caught attempting to import cocaine.
La Presse claimed the RCMP’s Integrated Market Enforcement Team (IMET) was investigating whether organized crime figures were among the investors who made handsome profits by buying Amaya shares prior to the Rational acquisition. Unidentified police sources told La Presse that the RCMP was collecting information prior to the opening of an investigation into stock trades by organized crime figures.