Report: $3M of Phil Mickelson's Money Involved in Laundering, Gambling Operation

According to sources and court documents obtained by ESPN's Outside the Lines, Phil Mickelson was involved in the transfer of nearly $3 million as part of "an illegal gambling operation which accepted and placed bets on sporting events."

Per this report, Mickelson has not been charged with a crime, and he is not under investigation, but $2.75 million of Mickelson's money had been laundered by Gregory Silveira, a 56-year-old former sports gambling hadicapper, acting as a conduit for an offshore gambling operation.

Last week, Silveira pleaded guilty to three counts of money laundering between February 2010 and February 2013 after reaching an agreement with prosecutors. The funds were said to be from an unnamed "gambling client" of Silveira's.

The unnamed "gambling client" is thought by those familiar with the case to indeed be Phil Mickelson. Per ESPN:

In March 2010, Silveira-- a participant in 'an illegal gambling operation which accepted and placed bets on sporting events' --accepted a wire transfer of $2.75 million, which he knew was part of 'illegal sports betting.' The money, according to the documents, came from a 'gambling client' and had been transferred into Silveira's Wells Fargo Bank Account. Three days later, Silveira transferred $2.475 million and then $275,000 into another of his Wells Fargo accounts. The next day, Silveira transferred the $2.475 million to another account he controlled at JPMorgan Chase Bank.

The three transactions constitute the money laundering charges: 'At the time, defendant initiated these three transfers with the intent to promote the carrying on of an illegal gambling operation,' according to the plea agreement, which was signed May 1.

This isn't Mickelson's first alleged involvement in illegal money handlings. Last year, his name came up in a federal insider trading investigation primarily focused on Carl Icahn, an investment tycoon and Billy Walters, a notorious sports gambler. Mickelson was cleared of alleged involvement regarding that case.

Mickelson is also somewhat notorious for participating in casual money matches, which resulted in the PGA Tour reprimanding him in 2001 after winning $500 from Mike Weir at the NEC Invitational. He has also been known to bet and win larger sums of money on major sporting events such as the Super Bowl.