Ex- assistant school principal charged with running online gambling operation
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MORGAN COUNTY — A former Mooresville school assistant principal has been criminally charged in connection with an online gambling investigation performed by the Indiana Gaming Commission.
Morgan County prosecutors charged Timothy R. Vanwanzeele on May 22 with:
- Corrupt Business Influence
- Money Laundering where the value of proceeds/funds is at least $50,000
- Promoting Professional Gambling
- Professional Gambling Over the Internet
All four charges are felonies, records show, and are alleged to have happened between July 1, 2020 and November 26, 2023.
As of June 5, Vanwanzeele was listed on the district’s website as the Assistant Principal at Paul Hadley Middle School. But June 6, his name appeared to have been removed.
“Mr. VanWanzeele is no longer employed by Mooresville Schools,” said Susan Haynes, a spokesperson for Mooresville Schools in an email to WRTV. “As always, we are committed to the safety and security of the district’s resources. The district has not been contacted by any investigative agency, but will fully cooperate if needed.”
Vanwanzeele’s attorney said his client retired from the school district.
“At this time Tim does not have any comment or statement to make regarding the charges or accompanying probable cause affidavit that were filed in this matter,” said his attorney Eric Krupp in an email to WRTV. “He is no longer an assistant principal in Mooresville.”
WATCH | Indiana's Latest Headlines
Latest Headlines | June 6, 7amIn June 2021, the Gaming Control Division of the Indiana Gaming Commission initiated a criminal investigation into an illegal internet-based gambling operation-- specifically an online poker club reported as the “DDDare Poker Club,” according to the probable cause affidavit.
Robert A. Vincent and Timothy R. Vanwanzeele ran the operation, prosecutors allege.
Vincent is also charged with:
- Corrupt Business Influence
- Money Laundering where the value of proceeds/funds is at least $50,000
- Promoting Professional Gambling
- Professional Gambling Over the Internet
Vincent’s attorney, Glen Koch, declined to comment.
Investigators obtained search warrants with Google LLC and obtained Google Drive and Google Docs showing information on the daily operations including 26 promotional flyers like those located on Facebook and Reddit, according to court documents.
Google LLC records showed Vanwanzeele used aliases of “Russell Nav,” “RNav,” “Kosmo,” and “Kosmo1987” for accounts and usernames, according to the PC.
Investigators also obtained a search warrant for Vanwanzeele’s financial records and found he received more than $201,342 in transfers in different accounts include Venmo, Paypal, Cash App and Zelle, court records allege.
As for Robert Vincent, financial records revealed he received $1.7 million in transfers to money transfer platforms.
“Vincent expended funds from the accounts to facilitate the daily operations of the DDDare Poker Club to include member access to the DDDare Poker Club on the Pokerrr2 App, burner telephone numbers, advertising and promotional expenses,” prosecutors alleged in court records.
An initial hearing for Vincent is scheduled in Morgan County for June 14 at 8:30 a.m.
A pretrial conference for Vanwanzeele is scheduled for July 15 at 1 p.m.
