Trio Busted over Illegal Gambling to Do 250 Hours of Community Service

Illegal gambling continues to plague the United States. Despite legalizing much of the industry, there are still illegal operations cropping up all over the country, and in states which have mostly regulated the full spectrum of gambling experience. In Michigan, a trio has been sentenced at Ingham County Circuit Court for masterminding an illegal gambling operation out of Flint Township.

Illegal Gambling Fought Hard in Michigan

The investigation was launched by law enforcement and the Michigan Gaming Control Board (MGCB), which thanked the Attorney General’s office and police authorities for providing the much-needed support for cleaning up the Great Lakes State from illicit operations.

Those gambling establishments, the MGCB argued, lacked basic player protection measures and were often a conduit of serious crime, including but not limited to drugs, human trafficking, money laundering, and worse. The regulator explained that any business that operated purposefully outside the scope of the law was also skimping on paying tax, adding insult to injury.

The money leveraged through regular gambling operations is taxed and the funds raised go directly to K-12 schools. This, the MGCB said, was not possible when the matter involved illegal gambling companies instead. The operation that the trio run is not as serious though, and the court has shown leniency on them.

Consequences for Once’s Actions

They were all sentenced to a day of jail and community service. The convicts will also have to subject themselves to random drug testing as part of a probation period, ranging from six months to a year. All people involved in the case received financial penalties. Anthony Sutton, a 53-year-old resident of Wilmington, NC, was sentenced to 100 hours of community service and $1,058 fees and costs.

He also agreed to forfeit $12,500 in cash along with 67 computers and games confiscated by the state. Kara Schilling of Flint pled guilty to a misdemeanor and received 50 hours of community services and the same amount in fees and costs.

Not least, there was Marjorie Brown, also of Flint, who pled guilty and will serve 100 hours of community service and pay $985 in costs and fees. They have all been put on probation and would need to comply with police-mandated terms.