Detroit high stakes gambler Brian Benderoff swindled Michigan physician Sheldon Gonte out of more than two million dollars, according to a lawsuit filed in Oakland County Circuit Court in Michigan. The Detroit Free Press reported that the lawsuit alleges that Gonte loaned 50-year-old Benderoff $2.6 million to support business investments that Benderoff said were in the works. Benderoff signed promissory notes vowing to repay the funds but he never did. Therefore, Gonte filed a lawsuit against Benderoff, alleging that Benderoff owes him the funds.
This is not the first time that Benderoff has had legal problems. In 2008, he was sued by a travel agent located in Atlantic City. She accused him of swindling her out of more than one-half million dollars in loans with a promise to pay it back.
Of course, he never did. This case was eventually dismissed so that criminal charges could be filed. Benderoff was ordered to pay nearly $300,000 in restitution to the travel agent. He was also sentenced to 18 months of probation.
In addition to all of the above legal troubles that Benderoff has found himself in, he has now come under the federal government’s radar from an incident that happened back in June. According to the Detroit Patch, Benderoff and his associates flew into the Detroit Metro Airport from Las Vegas with more than $2.5 million stuffed in their luggage. TSA noticed that one of Banderoff’s associates had a carry-on bag had large amounts of cash inside. The two travelers were stopped and questioned in Detroit. After an investigation, federal agents seized the cash and a Rolex watch. Benderoff told investigators that he is a high stakes gambler and won the money in Las Vegas. His associates told investigators that the money was from unsuspecting investors. They admitted to federal agents that the money was solicited for bogus business deals and was instead used for gambling. Benderoff does not currently face criminal charges from the federal government but they want him to forfeit the $2.5 million that he allegedly obtained illegally.
