Prosecutors say ‘Jimmy the Greek’ should stay in jail

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Federal prosecutors are asking a court to keep James “Jimmy the Greek” Gerodemos in custody, arguing he is violent, a flight risk and likely to flee if released.

Gerodemos, 63, of Schererville, Indiana, is one of 22 people arrested in an alleged illegal gambling case. Investigators say he ran an underground book and threatened people who owed money — including with death.

The ‘holy war’ videos

Prosecutors say Gerodemos filmed lit candles in churches and sent the clips to debtors. In one video cited in court, a voice says: “I just lit some candles for your family… I say for them to die.” Officials describe the campaign as a “holy war” meant to scare gamblers into paying.

His lawyer, Beau Brindley, says the voice has not been proven to be Gerodemos’s and that the clip came from a burner phone. Even if it were him, Brindley told reporters, “these are not actual threats of violence.”

Ron Safer, a former assistant U.S. attorney in Chicago, disagreed. “It is a not-subtle threat that if the bettor doesn’t pay up, there are going to be deaths in his family,” he said.

Bond and flight risk

Prosecutors also say Gerodemos should stay jailed because his case looks weak at trial and he might try to leave the United States. They have argued Greece does not extradite its own citizens to the U.S.

His daughter has declined to sign a bond or house him, prosecutors say, and has said she would not be responsible for getting him to court.

A judge has not yet ruled on whether he remains detained until trial. All allegations are unproven unless admitted or found at trial.

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