Federal prosecutors are hoping send a message about illegal online gambling by urging a judge to sentence the brother-in-law of U.S. Rep. John Tierney, D-Massachusetts, for at least four years, the Boston Herald reported.

The mastermind of Antigua-based Sports Off Shore, Daniel Eremian, was found guilty in December of racketeering and conspiracy for operating a multimillion-dollar gambling website.

The case is the first of its kind since the passage of the Unlawful Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006, according to the Boston Herald.

“The online gaming world has been watching the case at bar and the court’s sentence must reflect that criminal organizations cannot hide in offshore havens and commit crimes in the United States,” prosecutors said in their sentencing memorandum filed in U.S. District Court, as reported by the Boston Herald. “If the court’s sentence does not provide sufficient punishment, other offshore gambling businesses may take it as a signal that U.S. laws have no teeth and that it is worth the risk to conduct their business in the United States.”

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