8 stores, 1 home raided in Crawford, Peach commercial gambling investigation
Search warrants were served at seven convenience stores in Byron and one in Roberta on Tuesday as part of an investigation into alleged violations of Georgia’s commercial gambling laws, racketeering, money laundering, tax evasion and other offenses.
The stores either were closed or were in the process of being closed by Tuesday afternoon, said David Cooke, district attorney for the Macon Judicial Circuit.
The stores are accused of making illegal payouts for gaming machine winnings. State law prohibits stores from paying winning players in cash. Redemptions are legal only for store credit, merchandise, gas or lottery tickets.
Authorities also served a search warrant at the Byron home of a store’s owners, 71-year-old Ronald D. Bartlett and 73-year-old Lee E. Bartlett, according to the district attorney’s office.
During a news conference, Cooke said his office filed seven civil complaints Tuesday under the state’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act seeking the forfeiture of “any profits gained through the alleged violations of the law as well as the property used to facilitate any crime.”
The stores raided included:
Quick Stop, 110 Boy Scout Road, Byron;
Captain Jack’s Crab Shack, 107 Chapman Road, Byron;
Pop’s Place Gifts and Games, 211 Main St., Byron;
American Eagle Food Mart, 2639 A. Highway 247 Connector, Byron;
Raceway, 237 N. Highway 49, Byron;
Kwik Stop Marathon, 310 N. Highway 49, Byron;
Valero, 540 E. Crusselle St., Roberta;
In addition, six people were charged with commercial gambling:
Ronald and Lee Bartlett, owners of Captain Jack’s Crab Shack;
Michael Todd Durham, 47, of Roberta, owner of Pop’s Place Gifts and Games;
Leonardo M. Rimando, 46, of Macon;
Andy Y. Kim, 50, of Macon, owner of the Raceway and Kwik Shop raided;
Kiran Patel, 37, of Macon.
The Bartletts, Durham and Kim also are charged with keeping a gambling place, according to authorities.
Prosecutors say the stores were opened as “sham enterprises” and fronts for illegal gambling, according to the forfeiture complaints.
Prosecutors also filed motions asking a judge to appoint a receiver to manage the stores while the cases are pending.
Asked the monetary value of the raids, Cooke characterized them as similar to 2014 raids in Bibb County that closed 10 stores.
That initiative was part of Bibb County’s largest-ever commercial gambling raid. Prosecutors sought the forfeiture of funds from 77 bank accounts, nine vehicles plus other property related to alleged violations of Georgia’s RICO law.
One store settled its civil case for $175,000 in December. Criminal charges stemming from the Bibb County raids still are pending.
Last month, The Telegraph reported that players of gaming machines commonly found at Middle Georgia convenience stores -- in Bibb, Crawford, Houston, Jones, Monroe, Peach and Twiggs counties -- pumped more than $129 million into the machines last year, according to tallies provided by the Georgia Lottery Corp.
Information from Telegraph archives was used in this report. To contact writer Amy Leigh Womack, call 744-4398.
This story was originally published May 5, 2015 at 11:11 AM with the headline "8 stores, 1 home raided in Crawford, Peach commercial gambling investigation."