GOLDEN, Colo. (AP) - A man who ran a high-stakes Denver poker club whose customers included prominent athletes, media personalities, attorneys and doctors has been sentenced to 16 years in prison.

Forty-eight-year-old Jeffrey Castardi pleaded guilty in October to violating the Colorado Organized Crime Control Act. He was sentenced Monday.

An indictment had accused him and his associates of running an illegal gambling ring centering around the Gin Rummy Club in south Denver, and of loan-sharking, money laundering, tax evasion, theft and unlawful debt collection.