Casino Crime Roundup: Sheriff Charged With DUI Outside of Casino

Posted on: September 23, 2024, 02:57h. 

Last updated on: September 23, 2024, 03:10h.

Ed Silverstein @casinoorgedsilv Read More

Expertise: Legal, Tribal Gaming.

Hampden County, Mass. Sheriff Nick Cocchi was arrested Saturday night after allegedly operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol outside of Massachusetts’ MGM Springfield casino.

Cocchi pled not guilty during an arraignment on Monday in Springfield District Court. He was released on his own recognizance.

“I’m sorry for not living up to the high standards I’ve set for myself, my staff, and the justice-involved population. I take complete responsibility for my actions,” Cocchi said in a weekend statement to Western Mass News.

“In today’s political life, so many people want to point fingers and push blame onto others,” he added after the court appearance. “I wasn’t brought up that way. … Nor do I act that way in my personal or my professional life. So today, I take full responsibility for what happened this past Saturday.”

Cocchi was elected to the sheriff’s post in 2016 and was re-elected in 2022.

Tennessee Business Raided

Smoke & Vape, a local smoke shop, was searched by Springfield, Tenn. police officers last week after authorities were tipped off about possible illegal gambling at the business.

During the raid, authorities seized gambling machines, according to the Smokey Barn News, a Tennessee news outlet.

A worker at the business was charged with gambling promotion.

Denver Man Faces Prison for Illegal Gambling

A man could spend up to a decade in prison after he was recently found guilty of operating an illegal gambling joint in Colorado.

A jury convicted Jonathan Arvay, 38, of Denver, of conducting an illegal gambling business and conspiracy to conduct an illegal gambling business, the US Attorney’s Office in Colorado announced last week.

Arvay faces a maximum of 10 years in prison and up to $500K in fines when he’s sentenced on December 12. He also could be placed on six years of supervised release after completing the prison sentence.

Arvay operated the Player One Arcade in Denver, prosecutors said. The business is part of a network of gambling parlors extending from Greeley to Pueblo, Colo.

“These parlors offered several electronic forms of gambling through games made to resemble arcade games, as well as virtual slot machines in which customers attempted to earn credits,” according to the statement from prosecutors.

Winning customers would exchange credits for an obsidian digital asset coin (ODAC), a form of cryptocurrency.

The ODAC was later exchanged for cash at a cryptocurrency teller machine. The machine was located either next door to the business or inside the gambling joint.

These gambling dens masqueraded as arcades with a veneer of legitimacy,” said Acting US Attorney for the District of Colorado Matt Kirsch in a statement. “I am grateful to law enforcement for digging beneath the veneer and finding that these establishments were causing real harm in our communities.”

“These defendants created a large, complex illegal gambling operation, both online and in person, in Pueblo, Colorado Springs, Lakewood, Denver, Aurora, and Greeley. Their illicit proceeds led to crimes involving money laundering and fraud against the US government, among other violations,” FBI Denver Special Agent in Charge Mark Michalek added.

Eight Suspects Arrested After Gambling Raid

Eight people were charged following the raid of suspected gambling operations in two San Francisco businesses earlier this month.

The charges include gambling violations, drug counts, and warrants for other violations, according to the San Francisco Police Department.

Officers seized illegal gambling machines, illegal drugs, drug paraphernalia, stolen merchandise, a firearm, and a replica gun during the September 11 searches.

Both businesses are located on Leavenworth Street.