A federal judge will soon decide whether to release another man on bond in an illegal Northwest Indiana gambling ring.
A magistrate already rejected bond for Basam “Donny Brasco” Ibrahim, 44, of Portage in May. Since then, prosecutors admitted in court filings that alleged ringleader Jimmy Gerodemos, not Ibrahim, left two threatening voicemails for Victim 1’s daughter.
Defense lawyer Kerry Connor filed to reconsider releasing him. It was a “very serious mistake,” she said in a hearing Thursday.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Philip Benson acknowledged the error but argued Ibrahim was part of the “conspiracy” to help recover $45,000 Victim 1 owed. He said Ibrahim called the victim up to eight times, and his daughter one or two times. He also called Victim 1’s ex-wife and the man’s friend at least once each, trying to reach him.
Ibrahim and Gerodemos were likely playing “good cop, bad cop” with the daughter, Benson argued.
When police searched Ibrahim’s home, they found three certificates of deposit worth at least $300,000, plus $28,000 in cash, he said. Connor later argued Ibrahim saved most of that money. Benson said he doubted it.
He argued Ibrahim was a flight risk and a danger to the community.
In one incident, Ehab “Eddie” Mustafa, an ex-Gino’s cook, traveled to Texas in June 2025 and left a Papa John’s pizza box with roses and a note threatening Victim 1’s college-age daughter at Valparaiso University, filings show.
The collective efforts were “frightening” and a factor in her decision to go study abroad, Benson said.
Connor argued under the law, prosecutors could not collectively lump alleged fault together to deny Ibrahim’s release. There was no evidence Ibrahim threatened or extorted anyone, she said.
Regardless of tone, what other reason would he have for calling her, U.S. District Judge Gretchen Lund asked Connor.
To detain Ibrahim, prosecutors would have to prove he was an ongoing threat to the community, which they haven’t done, she replied.
Lund said she would issue a ruling within a month.
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.
mcolias@post-trib.com
