Feds indict 22 in ‘Greek’-led gambling ring in Northwest Indiana

Federal prosecutors indicted 22 individuals earlier this month in a wide-ranging gambling and extortion ring working out of Gino’s Steakhouse in Merrillville and Paragon in Hobart.

Those indicted by the grand jury embrace members of the Gerodemos household – who’re longtime house owners of the Paragon restaurant in Hobart and Gino’s Steakhouse in Merrillville. Both eating places, which have been used in gambling operations, have been raided by the FBI earlier in the day.

An FBI described described a multi-state operation.

The 87-page indictment from January 2021 to April 2026 was unsealed Wednesday and included colourful names, together with “Jimmy the Greek,” “Alex Gyros,” and “Jim Macedonian.”

James “Jimmy the Greek” Gerodemos and Dean “Dean Gem” Gialamas have been named the leaders of the Gerodemos Gambling Organization, in keeping with the indictment.

The different individuals listed in the indictment are: Chris Gerodemos, Basam “Donny Brasco” Ibrahim, Sanad “Sanad Taka” Ibrahim, Peter “Pete Goodys” Pavlopoulos, Flippo “Gigi” Rovito, Michael “Michael Way Out” Campbell, Ehab “Eddie” Mustafa, Steve Armenta, Samuel Nuzzo, Alexander “Alex Gyros” Gagianas, Gus “Deans Runner” Kaporis, Rami “Rami Straight Flush” Mansour, Nenad “Butch Hunkee” Radoja, Marcus “Vladimir Ganz” Ganz, Paul “Paulie Scarf” Franze, Athena Gerodemos, Elias Gerodemos, James (*22*) Strezovski, Andrew “Caesars Andrew” Nguyen and Giuseppe “Joe Polozzo”’ Manzi.

All defendants appeared in federal courtroom Wednesday. Assistant US Attorney Philip Benson, with co-counsel Kevin Wolff, stated in courtroom the feds had “substantial” proof.

Detention hearings are anticipated Monday.

The Gerodemos Gambling Organization used web sites, telephone numbers and textual content messaging to have individuals place sports activities bets, which have been positioned in the Northern District of Indiana and all through the nation, in keeping with the indictment.

The group would arrange bettors with an account quantity and password. The bettors got a line of credit score by the group and didn’t need to put up their very own cash to put bets, in keeping with the indictment.

“Instead, the Gerodemos Gambling Organization provided gamblers lines of credit allowing the bettors to begin their betting almost immediately through the illegal gambling websites, or over the telephone, without needing any actual cash to do so,” in keeping with the indictment.

The members’ members used cash from dropping bettors to pay the group winners and the leaders of the Gerodemos Gambling Organization. If a fee could not be made to a winner, the Gerodemos Gambling Organization would cowl the fee, in keeping with the indictment.

Members of the gambling operation communicated recurrently about how a lot cash a bettor owed (M or minus) and the way a lot it owed to a bettor (P or plus). They additionally met with their brokers, bookies and a few bettors in particular person, inside public buildings or in parking heaps, to gather or ship funds for the sports activities bets, in keeping with the indictment.

The indictment stated the gambling operation used Gino’s Steakhouse and Paragon restaurant to gather gambling proceeds, repay successful bettors and switch gambling proceeds between James and Chris Gerodemos. Employees of Gino’s and Paragon additionally facilitated the operation via assortment and distribution of income with brokers, bookies and bettors, starting from a whole bunch of {dollars} to almost $50,000.

In the second rely, the indictment particulars the lengths the gambling group went to threaten a number of victims and their kinfolk with violence if their accrued gambling money owed weren’t paid up.

According to paperwork, there have been repeated makes an attempt by James Gerodemos, Ibrahimm, Pavlopoulos and Mustafa to extort “Victim 1” from September 2024 to October 2025 for cash he owed.

“Send me those 2 clowns’ address (victim 1 and another person), so I can have someone deliver the gyros to them,” James Gerodemos advised Pavlopoulos.

Pavlopoulos was annoyed that the person was ignoring his calls and texts.

“He’s a scumbag,” he wrote.

Mustafa, an ex-Gino’s cook dinner, traveled to Texas in June 2025 and left a Papa John’s pizza field with roses and a notice threatening his college-age daughter.

“Do the right thing, or I’m heading to Valparaiso University…n’ get ahold of the Greek,” it learn.

Mustafa spoke on to sufferer 1 exterior his Texas residence.

“You know who Dominic is..(He) sent me over here to come talk to you, see if you could give him a call, ’cause there’s a balance due,” Mustafa says on the video, of sports activities betting.

“I don’t know Dominic, man,” sufferer 1 responds. It’s “not even the right balance.”

“I’m like the middle guy,” Mustafa tells him.

“When, tell him to get the balance right and we’ll work it out,” the person stated, including he did not comprehend it “off the top of my head.”

In October 2025, James Gerodemos left a message for Victim 1 asking him to present him a name or he was going to go to Valparaiso and “(expletive) your daughter.”

The prices additionally element makes an attempt by members of the Gerodemos Gambling Organization, from August 2023 to June 2025, to trace down sufferer 2, reportedly dwelling in Florida, to gather $30,000. The efforts included repeated texts, telephone calls and alleged threats, together with looking for sufferer 2 at a Florida on line casino.

On Sept. 19, 2024, in keeping with the fees, James Gerodemos texts Christ Gerodemos, who’s in Florida, as they monitor down sufferer 2. James Gerodemos tells Chris Gerodemos by way of textual content that sufferer 2 performs high-limit baccarat. “He’s always there…. Scumbag.”

Chris Gerodemos asks what James Gerodemos needs him to inform sufferer 2.

“See if you see him in there the high limit, tell him call jimmy,” James Gerodemos replies.

Athena Gerodemos faces conspiracy to commit laundering when she participated in 200 monetary transactions between sufferer 1 and her father, James Gerodemos, from February 2023 via October 2025.

For instance, on Sept. 29, 2023, sufferer 1 despatched $1,600 to Athena Gerodemos after which Athena Gerodemos despatched $1,600 to an account managed by her father later the identical day.

On Dec. 6, 2023, bettor B texted James Gerodemos, “Send me daughter information for Zelle” and “Send 555.” The identical day, bettor B despatched Athena Gerodemos $555, and later that day, she despatched $500 to an account managed by her father.

The indictment additionally accused Campbell of tailing undercover brokers on April 9 to see what they have been doing. At one level, he drove “erratically” in and out of visitors, topping 100 miles per hour on I-65 all the way down to Lafayette. They famous “several calls” between him and James Gerodemos.

Prosecutors are asking for permission to doubtlessly seize belongings, together with each eating places, automobiles and financial institution accounts, plus numerous houses in Schererville, St. John, Naperville, Illinois, Chicago, and Palm Harbor, Florida.

Multiple FBI brokers raided Gino’s Steakhouse and the Paragon early Wednesday.

An company spokesperson declined to remark if there’s a larger goal of the investigation.

“This is an FBI-led, multi-agency operation, and court-authorized law enforcement activity is occurring at multiple locations in Northern Indiana and other states,” FBI consultant Chris Bavender stated in a launch. “There is no known threat to the public connected to this. As this is an active investigation, we are not able to provide further details at this time.”

Both eating places are owned by the Gerodemos household, in keeping with state data.

No one was instantly accessible at Paragon Wednesday morning. A name didn’t undergo to Gino’s. Neither Chris nor James Gerodemos could possibly be instantly reached for remark.

Newspaper archives present James Gerodemos received six months in federal jail in 2014 after he pleaded responsible in an unlawful fireworks case.

According to archives, he was discovered with sufficient fireworks, a few of which have been unlawful to promote even with a license on the time, to equal 4,000 kilos of TNT, which is in regards to the quantity that was used in the April 19, 1995, bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, that killed 168 individuals and injured 850. That quantity of fireworks is meant to be saved about 75 yards away from any inhabited constructing, however Gerodemos saved the fireworks in a steel container simply exterior his retailer.

The decide famous that when an undercover officer purchased fireworks from Gerodemos, he by no means requested him what he meant to do with the fireworks. Instead, the one query was if he was a cop.

akukulka@post-trib.com;mcolias-pete@post-trib.com