Agents from the Ohio Department of Safety broke up a poker tournament at an American Legion Post and seized $22,000 in cash, along with playing cards, poker chips, poker tables and gambling records, authorities said yesterday.
More than 100 people were at the Avon Lake Post 211 when authorities executed a search warrant Friday night. No one was arrested, but officials will work with prosecutors to determine if any criminal charges should be filed, said Rich Cologie, assistant agent in charge with the Ohio Investigative Unit.
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''Although Texas Hold 'Em tournaments have become very popular because of television, they are prohibited under Ohio law if all proceeds do not go to charity,'' said Ed Duvall Jr., deputy director of the Ohio Investigative Unit, a division of the Department of Public Safety.
Cologie said authorities believed not all of the proceeds from the Texas Hold 'Em tournament were going to the North Coast Associations of the Deaf.
Tim Swartwood Sr., the commander of American Legion Post 211, said his organization was not the target of the bust. He said the Post's hall was being rented to an organization that was putting on the gambling nights. Swartwood said his organization was paid $500 a night by the gambling night operators for use of the hall. Swartwood said he did not know the name of the organization that was putting the gambling nights on.
''It was in a person's name,'' Swartwood said of how the hall was rented.
Swartwood said an individual approached him in November of last year and inquired about renting the VFW Hall for gambling nights. Swartwood said he told the individual he'd agree to renting the hall but said first he'd have Avon Lake police check out the group. Swartwood said the organization presented ''paperwork'' with the Avon Lake police which tipped off police that all may not be right with the group.
Police told Swartwood the group ''looked a little shady,'' he said.
Swartwood said police told him to allow the group to hold the gambling nights and if something was amiss police would let Swartwood know, he said.
The group conducted around 12 of the gambling nights, before Friday's bust, he said. On good nights around 100 people would attend and gamble, Swartwood said.
''The Avon Lake police were in contact with the gaming commission and I'm sure it was determined these people were operating outside of the law,'' Swartwood said. ''They came in about 9:30 p.m. on Friday. They surrounded the place and made everyone sit where they were while they took pictures.'' Swartwood said those gambling at the event were eventually allowed to leave, but authorities interviewed organizers and dealers deep into the night.
''They confiscated all the money, tables, chips and everything else they were using,'' Swartwood said.
American Legion Post 211 was cited for Permitting and/or Allowing Gambling. The post could face a fine, suspension or possibly lose its liquor permit.
Swartwood said the citation was likely given in error. He said he had an agreement with the Avon Lake police that the post would not be cited.
''I got a call tonight from police asking if we were cited,'' Swartwood said. Swartwood said if he had been told to cease allowing the gambling nights to go on he would have complied.
Avon Lake police referred all calls on the bust to the Ohio Department of Public Safety.
Agents also seized $13,000 in cash and gambling documents at a home in Middleburg Heights early yesterday, and $6,000 in cash from a home in Parma. No one was arrested.
Source: The Mourning Journal
