Man who placed bets through Georgia back in Pennsylvania prison

<p>A man who once headed an illegal video poker empire in southwestern Pennsylvania was sent back to prison for taking millions of dollars in sports bets over the phone late last year.</p><p>John "Duffy" Conley, 42, of Pittsburgh, was convicted in 1995 of controlling 4,000 gambling machines in western Pennsylvania that netted him as much as $15 million a year. He was released from federal prison in January 2004.</p><p>State Attorney General's agents said in court Wednesday that wiretaps showed Conley placed more $3.9 million in sports bets through contacts in Georgia, offshore casinos and local bookies in one 28-day span in November and December.</p><p>Conley's attorney, James Wymard, argued that Conley might have been making the bets for himself, but investigators said wiretaps showed he was taking bets from as far away as Florida and Las Vegas.</p><p>Conley has not been charged with any crimes in the latest state investigation, but federal prosecutors told a federal magistrate he had violated his poker machine probation.</p>