Mickelson tied to laundering of $3M in sports bets

Golf superstar Phil Mickelson is facing a PR nightmare after allegedly sending approximately $2.75 million to a jail-bound former handicapper who laundered money in an illegal sports gambling operation.

According to ESPN’s Outside the Lines, the whopping sum from Mickelson — who ranks second on the PGA Tour’s all-time money list with more than $77 million in career earnings and has raked in tens of millions more in endorsements — was transferred to 56-year-old Gregory Silveira, who pleaded guilty last week to laundering nearly $3 million between February 2010 and February 2013 as a conduit for an “unnamed client” in an offshore gambling network. Sources told ESPN that client is Mickelson.

However, the report states Mickelson is not facing criminal charges and is not being investigated because the law is intended to prosecute gambling rings rather than individual bettors.

The popular lefty has long been known for his enjoyment of sports betting and his habitual wagering on golf courses. ESPN cited sources stating Mickelson still gambles on games legally in Las Vegas. He was reprimanded by tour officials in 2001 for gambling in the players lounge at the NEC Invitational. Mickelson won $500 from Mike Weir after betting him $20, at 25-1 odds, that Jim Furyk would sink a shot from the bunker.

According to court documents, Silveira worked as part of a gambling operation that accepted and placed bets on sporting events. In March 2010, the handicapper received a $2.75 million wire transfer, which he knew was part of “illegal sports betting.” The documents describe the money as “proceeds,” leaving it unclear whether the funds were from gambling wins or losses.

In the final plea agreement with the US Department of Justice, Silveira pleaded guilty to three counts of money laundering. Though the “gambling client” remained anonymous, the initial plea deal signed last month by Silveira and his attorney contains a reference to the “money laundering of funds from P.M.”

Mickelson’s precise connection to Silveira remains unclear. Silveira is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 5 and could face up to 60 years in prison, though he likely will receive a far shorter sentence.