Lawyer: Wild's Vanek owed $10M in gambling debts, targeted in extortion plot

New alleged information has come to light in regards to Thomas Vanek's reported gambling issues.

Matthew Parrinello, an attorney representing New York bookmaker Joseph Ruff – the same man who implicated the Minnesota Wild forward in a money laundering scheme at an October court hearing – alleges Vanek was at one time quite deep in debt.

On top of that, Vanek may have been the target of an extortion plot masterminded by Ruff.

From Gary Craig of the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle:

A local bookie, Joseph Ruff, on Friday admitted to extorting a $230,000 payment from Vanek as partial payment of gambling losses Vanek owed. After the plea, Ruff's attorney, Matthew Parrinello, said Vanek had owed upward of $10 million.

"He wasn't very good," Parrinello said of Vanek's gambling performance.

Ruff pleaded guilty in federal court Friday to illegal gambling, an extortion conspiracy and a money-laundering conspiracy. The target of the extortion plot was not identified in court but Parrinello later identified the individual as Vanek.

Vanek, who previously played with the Rochester Americans and Buffalo Sabres, now plays for the Minnesota Wild.

Vanek played with the New York Islanders when he made the $230,000 payment. He endorsed over a team paycheck for the payment early this year.

Vanek's agent has since unequivocally denied the report of his client's extensive debt.