In a recent ruling, an Ontario judge granted authorities the right to seize approximately $200,000 discovered beneath a Mississauga man’s bed. While the man claimed the money was a result of a cultural tendency to distrust banks, the evidence presented strongly suggested its connection to an illegal gambling operation.

The judge allowed the man’s elderly mother to retain $75,000, as there was no evidence implicating her in any illicit activities. This case stems from a larger investigation targeting organized crime, but due to procedural issues, it did not result in any convictions.

Dmitri Kellesis, a retired construction worker, was among the individuals charged in ‘Project Hobart’, an extensive probe aimed at dismantling an underground gambling ring associated with the Hells Angels. The investigation uncovered an alleged $160 million money flow to the biker gang’s chapters through a covert Mississauga storefront. Kellesis, along with many others, faced charges related to his alleged involvement in the operation.

Due to the case’s dismissal caused by procedural delays, Ontario’s attorney general sought to seize the discovered cash and other valuables under the province’s civil forfeiture rules. The items included $20,000 found in a fanny pack, $1,910 hidden in a pair of jeans, and $250,000 concealed in a gift bag beneath a bed.

Surveillance officers had observed Kellesis frequently visiting the alleged gambling den, engaging in activities consistent with its operations.

Despite Kellesis claiming that his visits were merely for socializing and playing an online game called Clash of Clans, the judge found his arguments unconvincing. Citing the evidence of gambling paraphernalia and Kellesis’s suspicious activities, including the use of a money counter and locking doors, the judge concluded that the cash was likely proceeds from the illicit gambling den.

However, the judge acknowledged the family’s history of asset seizure in Czechoslovakia, which led to their distrust of institutions. As a result, he ordered the return of $75,000, which could be traced to legitimate savings belonging to Kellesis’s mother.