Major Update On A Former TNA/WCW Stars Arrest
Many more details are surfacing now regarding the story Georgia Wrestling History first reported this morning about last night's raid on the home of Dan (earlier reported on WSB Radio by Richard Sangster this morning as Walter Tyree) and Angela (also being reported as Andrea) Tyre in Roswell, in what local law enforcement officials are calling the biggest bust of any kind they have made.
According to a woman who used to baby-sit for the couple, stated that he owns a car wash and that his wife is employed with a wine distributor. The couple has two children; one is two years old and the other is not yet one.
The source said the gatherings at the Tyre home initially began simply to watch Monday Night Football games, but it escalated from there, both in size and activity. She added that her and her husband had been invited at some point, but they had declined.
It is being reported that Dan Tyre, along with Glen 'Disco Inferno' Gilberti (though all sources have named Gilberti among those arrested, only some have named him as being a partner to Tyre in the oversight of the gaming), were running a gaming operation out of Tyre's home. It has not been disclosed at this time whether the children were at the residence at the time of the raid, nor does it specify their age or relation to Tyre.
It appears surveillance had been conducted for up to six months, begun after complaints from neighbors in the area of constant traffic, and people coming and going from the home. A warrant was obtained on Monday and served upon the raid, whereas a SWAT team kicked in the door to enter the home around 10:30 PM last.
Upon entry, police discovered players sitting at three gaming tables in the basement of the home. Police were said to have been on the scene for about three hours.
Twenty-seven people, including Tyre, Gilberti, and two waitresses, who had been employed to serve the players, were immediately arrested and taken away from the home in three police vans.
More than twenty vehicles were impounded and searched, turning up a reported two handguns and a bag containing what was believed to be about two hundred pills. Initial reports say the pills were suspected as being ecstasy.
Police also seized approximately $45,000 in cash, playing cards, gaming tables, and poker chips, from the home. It is being reported that the games of Texas Hold 'Em were taking place weekly.
Players were required to pay an entry fee of $10,000, upon receiving an invitation after registering online at an unspecified website to enter the games. Of the aforementioned impounded vehicles, lined up hundreds of feet along the street where the home is located, some had license plates as far away as Mississippi and North Carolina. There were also two men who were said to have come from Savannah and Macon.
Aside from Tyre and Gilberti, names have not been released, except for Ron Gibson, who spoke with Tom Regan of WSB TV. It was speculated earlier this morning that more names of note would be disclosed, but to this point, that has not been done. Regan also mentioned an unconfirmed report of a "nationally known poker star" being involved.
It appears the winnings and losses from the games were tallied on paper. A police spokesman called it a "safe game", explaining why so little cash was found.
Three cars ? a Mercedes, an Infiniti, and a Pontiac ? were reported as not being impounded, and were still in the driveway of the home this morning. A Mercedes and a Cadillac SUV, believed to be those of the residents, were reported to still be parked in the garage of the home.
When a reporter approached the door mid-morning, a middle-aged woman is said to have answered, but shut the door when the reporter identified himself. It could not be determined if that was Mrs. Tyre, or whether she has been arrested for her association.
A report early this afternoon on WSB TV, as people began bonding out of the Roswell Detention Center, included a statement from Gibson, identified by the news source as a "defendant", where he was quoted as saying the story and the allegations were being "blown out of proportion", and that he is "blown away" by the situation.
Tyre and Gilberti (if he indeed is found to have been Tyre's partner in running the operation) are expected to be charged with commercial gambling, which under Georgia law is punishable by one to five years in a state prison. It is believed the remainder of the arrestees will only be charged with misdemeanors.
Among local sources reporting the developing story: the Atlanta Journal-Constitution; WSB 750; WSB Channel 2 (ABC); WAGA Channel 5 (FOX); WXIA Channel 11 (NBC); and WGCL Channel 46 (CBS)
Glenn "Disco Inferno" Gilberti remains in custody today after being arrested last night. No bond has been set and Gilberti is at the Roswell GA Detention Center awaiting transfer to the Fulton County facility where a bond will be set. The transfer is expected to take place later today or tomorrow morning.