Indiana: Prosecutors Say “Jimmy the Greek” Sent a Gambler a Church Video Wishing His Family Dead

Federal prosecutors want James “Jimmy the Greek” Gerodemos kept in jail until his trial. Their latest reason is a short video. It was allegedly filmed inside a church and sent to a bettor who owed money, FOX 32 Chicago reported.

His lawyers see it differently. They dispute what the messages mean, and they say strict release conditions would address the government’s concerns.

Gerodemos, 63, lives in Schererville, Indiana. As of September 29, he was the only one of the case’s 22 defendants still in custody, NBC Chicago reported. He and the others have pleaded not guilty.

The candles and the message

The video came up in a motion prosecutors filed on September 28. They want the court to overturn an order to release Gerodemos, Casino.org reported.

According to that account, he told the bettor he was spending $300 to light a candle for the man’s mother. He also sent a short video filmed inside a church. “I just lit some candles for your family,” he allegedly said in English.

Then he switched to Greek. According to Casino.org’s account of the filing, FBI translators rendered those words as: “I say for them to die.”

Prosecutors see the exchange as part of a months-long effort to pressure the gambler into paying, the outlet reported.

Not the only alleged threat

The filing goes beyond one bettor. It also points to alleged threats involving another bettor’s daughter, who prosecutors say was enrolled at Valparaiso University at the time, FOX 32 reported.

Put together, the government says, the messages show that Gerodemos could endanger or intimidate prospective witnesses if released. Prosecutors also told the court he might flee to Greece, NBC Chicago reported.

What his lawyer says

Beau Brindley, Gerodemos’ attorney, questions whether the voice in the video is even his client’s. He told NBC Chicago that the video reportedly came from a burner phone and that no one has verified who is speaking.

And if it is his voice? “But even if it were, my point is these are not actual threats of violence,” Brindley said.

The defense’s written response took a similar line. It called the messages inflammatory and disrespectful, but argued they do not show a serious risk that Gerodemos would threaten or intimidate witnesses in this case, FOX 32 reported.

Instead of jail, his lawyers proposed electronic monitoring, home confinement and a ban on contacting potential witnesses, according to FOX 32. As for the flight-risk claim, they noted that the U.S. has an extradition treaty with Greece, Casino.org reported.

The bigger gambling case

The fight over his release is only one piece of a much larger case.

A federal grand jury in Hammond returned a 28-count indictment against Gerodemos and 21 others on April 16, 2026, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. It came out of an investigation called “Operation Porterhouse Parlay.” The indictment was unsealed on April 29, after arrests and searches, and announced the next day.

According to the indictment, as summarized by the office, the organization ran from about January 2021 to April 2026. It worked both online and in person. Its members used threats and intimidation to collect gambling debts.

Gerodemos is charged in 16 of those 28 counts, the indictment shows. They include running an illegal gambling business, collecting debts by extortionate means, money laundering conspiracy, and Hobbs Act extortion and conspiracy.

The Hobbs Act makes it a federal crime to obstruct, delay or affect commerce through robbery or extortion, including attempts and conspiracies. Extortion can mean obtaining property through the wrongful use of actual or threatened force, violence or fear.

The indictment ties the operation to two restaurants: Gino’s Steakhouse in Merrillville and Paragon in Hobart.

The fallout has reached Illinois, too. In Burr Ridge, the mayor said he would return $2,000 in donations from businesses owned by co-defendant Filippo Rovito.

A release order, then a pause

On September 22, U.S. Magistrate Judge Andrew Rodovich ordered Gerodemos released on a $5 million unsecured bond, Casino.org and FOX 32 reported. An unsecured bond means no money or property has to be put up in advance.

The order came with conditions. They included home confinement and the surrender of passports by Gerodemos and his family, NBC Chicago reported.

But Rodovich also put the release on hold so prosecutors could challenge it. In its article updated October 2, Casino.org reported that Gerodemos remained detained while the district court reviewed the government’s challenge.

What comes next

None of the threats described in the motion have been tested at trial, and every defendant in the case is presumed innocent until proven guilty. The release dispute in the “Jimmy the Greek” gambling case concerns whether Gerodemos should remain detained before trial; it does not determine his guilt or innocence.

Featured image: Downtown Hobart, Indiana, in July 2010. Photo: Chris Light / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)