Walnut Creek Man Pleads Guilty to Conducting Illegal Gambling Business in Sacramento and Elsewhere

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — May Levy, 27, of Walnut Creek, pleaded guilty today to conducting an illegal gambling business, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced.

According to court documents, between September 2015 and November 2017, Levy conducted an illegal gambling business in concert with his co-defendants, Eran Buhbut, 32, of Oakland; Yaniv Gohar, 34, of Berkeley; and Orel Gohar, 27, of San Francisco, as a part of the Gohar organization. In violation of California law, members of the Gohar organization, including Levy, installed and maintained video slot machines at businesses open to the public across Northern California. Levy and other members of the Gohar organization then split the proceeds from these illegal gambling machines with the owners of the small businesses in which the machines were installed. Levy was responsible for machines placed in businesses in Stockton, Sacramento, Concord, Hayward, Antioch, El Cerrito, San Pablo, Richmond, San Jose, Watsonville, and Salida. Levy collected approximately $3,000 to $4,000 per week from these locations on behalf of the organization.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and California Department of Justice – Bureau of Gambling Control. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew M. Yelovich and Miriam R. Hinman are prosecuting the case.

Levy remains out of custody pending sentencing. Buhbut is set for a status conference on June 1, 2018. Yaniv Gohar and Orel Gohar failed to appear at January court hearings, and warrants have been issued for their arrest.

Levy is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Garland E. Burrell, Jr. on August 3, 2018. Levy faces a maximum statutory penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.