Agoura Man Indicted as Leader of Betting Ring : Crime: Prosecutors say computer conspiracy netted millions.

An Agoura man was indicted Friday in Las Vegas on charges he headed “The Computer Group,” a nationwide betting ring that netted millions in profits before it was shut down by the FBI on the eve of the 1985 Super Bowl.

Federal authorities unsealed an indictment charging Ivan Mindlin, 61, of managing the group, which hired individuals who placed bets on its behalf.

Charges against Mindlin and 18 other defendants include conspiracy, interstate transmission of betting information and use of interstate facilities in the aid of racketeering.

The betting ring was dubbed the “Computer Group” because members allegedly designed a computer program that was fed information on a sporting event to determine the betting line on the event.

The group then set up representatives in various cities to bet various events, using the computer-generated lines to determine the bets.

The FBI served 45 search warrants in Las Vegas and 22 other cities in a nationwide raid Jan. 19, 1985.

The raid followed six weeks of electronic surveillance by the FBI at various locations.

One informant reported that the group made up to $25 million in profits in 1984, the year the FBI probe was launched.

James Weller, head of the Nevada FBI office, said the group gambled $12.6 million and made a net profit of $1.6 million between December, 1984, and Jan. 19, 1985, when the arrests were made.

The group placed bets at a business front known as C&B; Collection Agency in Las Vegas.

The indictment named suspects in Las Vegas, Boston and other cities in the states of New Jersey, Utah, Tennessee, Pennsylvania and Texas.

Each of the charges carries a possible sentence of up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.