Magistrate Andrew Rodovich rejected federal prosecutors’ bid Wednesday to send an alleged top operative in a Northwest Indiana-based illegal sports betting ring back to jail.
Instead, Dean Gialamas
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agreed to a $1 million unsecured bond. His wife also gave up her passport. He is barred from gambling.The 87-page indictment detailing the alleged gambling and extortion activity between January 2021 and April 2026 names James “Jimmy the Greek” Gerodemos, 62, of Schererville, and Gialamas, 61, of Naperville, as leaders of the Gerodemos Gambling Organization — which allegedly ran an illegal gambling ring out of two longtime Northwest Indiana restaurants, Gino’s Steakhouse in Merrillville and Paragon in Hobart. All 22 defendants pleaded not guilty to federal charges last month.
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During the hearing, Assistant U.S. Attorney Philip Benson argued Gialamas threatened to arrange to have deadbeat bettors hurt from 2016 to 2023 when they didn’t pay up. He said Gialamas was a flight risk and could potentially intimidate witnesses.
Was there evidence anyone ever got hurt, Rodovich asked.
“I don’t have any evidence of that,” Benson responded.
Defense lawyer Jamie Solano said her client hadn’t made any attempts to secure dual citizenship with Greece, which could potentially allow him to avoid extradition.
Later, she told Rodovich they would be fine with “anything short of detention.”
Gialamas was initially arrested in Puerto Rico on vacation, then released on a $50,000 unsecured bond.
Rodovich told lawyers he would set the same $1 million bond as co-defendant Chris Gerodemos, who was released in late April.
“I believe consistency is important,” he said.
It would make “little to no sense” for Gialamas to threaten witnesses when he was out, Rodovich said. The “massive” case included multiple witnesses and would keep going.
In another hearing, co-defendant Alexander “Alex Gyros” Gagianas, 56, now of Mesa, Arizona, and previously of Crown Point, signed off on a $300,000 unsecured bond. His wife also agreed to surrender her passport. Like others, he is barred from gambling.
He was arrested in Arizona and released without bond, which was the practice in that court, his Chicago lawyer Theodore Poulos said in court.
Court records indicate Gagianas used to own Mr. Greek Gyros in Merrillville until he sold it around 2023 and moved to Arizona.
After the hearing, Poulos said he hadn’t yet received evidence and argued the government’s case against Gagianas was thin, calling him a “minor player.” It would be “entirely inappropriate” to include him in a RICO indictment, he said.
He took issue with another newspaper’s report, retorting that Gagianas was not “speaking in code” and alluding to a “discussion of murder” in messages with Jimmy Gerodemos using mob terminology, like painting houses.
Echoing legal filings from Gagianas’ prior lawyer, he argued Gagianas helped his father’s painting and plaster business as a teenager.
His client was “very religious” and attended church regularly.
Earlier in the hearing, Rodovich warned a lawyer that if Gagianas asked the court to go to Greek Orthodox church, he should do it, unlike another co-defendant whose Catholic priest said he hadn’t “seen him in years.”
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“I don’t want any problems,” the magistrate said.
In court, Benson again indicated he would file a superseding RICO case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney David Nozick signed on to the case last month. He has handled many of the office’s high-profile gang and RICO cases. U.S. Attorney Adam Mildred attended some of Gialamas’ hearings.
Afterwards, a woman appeared to be served with legal papers outside the courthouse.
Elsewhere, co-defendant Basam Ibrahim has a June 11 hearing. His lawyer Kerry Connor filed to reconsider releasing him after Benson admitted in court filings that Jimmy Gerodemos, not Ibrahim, left threatening voicemails for Victim 1’s daughter.