BISMARCK - The Internal Revenue Service has honored a former North Dakota racing director for his part in the investigation into the Racing Services Inc.-Susan Bala criminal case.
The Fargo company and its owners were convicted in February of money laundering and illegal gambling involving $99 million in wagers at a stealth off-track betting site.
The IRS' Criminal Investigative Division expressed its appreciation to Paul Bowlinger of Bismarck, who was the state racing director for four years.
Drew Wrigley, U.S. attorney for North Dakota, also commended Bowlinger, writing that his comprehensive understanding of the racing business was critically important to the federal investigation and played a "central role" in helping the jury understand the case.
Bowlinger was state racing director from 2000 until October 2004.
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In early 2003, Bowlinger became suspicious of betting reports to the Racing Commission office from simulcast company RSI and began to look into it. When an RSI employee, Mike Cichy of Fargo, gave Bowlinger key information, Bowlinger took it to Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem, who notified federal officials. That started the investigation that resulted in Bala's and Raymundo Diaz Jr.'s successful prosecution.
Bowlinger left the North Dakota Racing Commission to become executive director of the North American Pari-mutuel Regulators Association, a group comprised of 26 states and Canadian provinces that regulates horse racing.
He has since helped with the merger of that group and the Board of Racing Commissioners International and will be its executive director effective Jan. 1. The merged group will be called Racing Commissioners International and the office will be in Bismarck.
