A Santa Clarita man was among 17 arrested in a series of raids across the country for their part in an alleged multi-million dollar online gambling operation.

The home of Cyrus Irani was descended upon by FBI, NYPD and LAPD officers early Wednesday morning, while other raids in New York, San Diego and the Los Angeles County were taking place simultaneously.

According to Lieutenant Stephan Margolis with the Los Angeles Police Department, 11 arrest warrants and four search warrants were served in the Los Angeles County.

He said that Irani was, “One of the prime players in the operation.”

Neighbors in the quiet neighborhood said that Irani was a friendly man, and before the raid they had noticed no suspicious behavior from the house he shared with his wife.

The scheme was allegedly created to evade taxes, with the perpetrators creating an out-of-country shell company while controlling everything from within the U.S. and collecting debts through agents throughout the country.

“Because it’s a touch and click situation,” said Margolis, “it fosters gambling addictions.”

He claimed that people were betting thousands to tens of thousands of dollars in this operation.

Irani being taken in handcuffs from the house.

Later in the morning, Irani was taken in handcuffs from the home. Prosecution will be out of Queens county in New York.

This is an ongoing story. KHTS will provide more information as it becomes available.