According to sources and court documents obtained by ESPN’s Outside the Lines, nearly $3 million of Phil Mickelson’s money was transferred to “an illegal gambling operation which accepted and placed bets on sporting events.”
Mickelson has not been charged with a crime, and he is not under investigation, per the report, but $2.75 million of Mickelson’s money had been laundered by Gregory Silveira, a 56-year-old former sports gambling handicapper, acting as a conduit for an offshore gambling operation.
Last week, Silveira pleaded guilty to three counts of money laundering between February 2010 and February 2013 after reaching an agreement with prosecutors. The funds were said to be from an unnamed “gambling client” of Silveira’s. The unnamed “gambling client” is thought by those familiar with the case to be Mickelson.
Per ESPN: In March 2010, Silveira accepted a wire transfer of $2.75 million, which he knew was part of “illegal sports betting.” Three days later, Silveira transferred $2.475 million and then $275,000 into another of his Wells Fargo accounts. The next day, Silveira transferred the $2.475 million to another account he controlled at JPMorgan. The three transactions constitute the money laundering charges: “At the time, defendant initiated these three transfers with the intent to promote the carrying on of an illegal gambling operation,” according to the plea agreement, which was signed May 1.
Mickelson is somewhat notorious for participating in casual money matches, which resulted in the PGA Tour reprimanding him in 2001 after winning $500 from Mike Weir at the NEC Invitational. He has been known to bet and win larger sums of money on major sporting events such as the Super Bowl.