Monday, March 12, 2007

MSNBC is reporting that a U.S. federal appeals court has overturned the
conviction of the proprietor of a North Dakota-based account wagering
operation who was jailed on illegal gambling charges. Susan Bala, who
founded Racing Services in 1990, had served 18 months of a 27-month sentence
after initially being convicted at a jury trial in 2005 of 12 felony counts
of money-laundering and operating an illegal gambling business. The United
States Court of Appeals for the Eighth District ruled on Tuesday that the
government had "insufficient" evidence to convict Bala. The three-judge
appeals court also overturned the lower court's order for Bala to forfeit
$99 million in illegal gambling proceeds.