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A 62 year-old Texas gambler who stole $1.7 million from her employer in order to fund her addiction to slot machines, will likely die in jail after receiving a 25 year sentence by a District Court judge.

Patricia Mancuso Janowski, 62, worked as a bookkeeper at Cape Software Inc for eight years starting late 2001. However, in addition to being payed $3,800 a month for her work, she would also help herself to an extra $14,000 a month, disguised as ‘payments to vendors,’ which she would then spend playing the slots.

Apparently, Janowski spent most of the money at Klein Food Mart in Spring, Texas, where she would stop on her way back from work and stayed until the store closed.

During her trial, Janowski admitted to gambling away the stolen money but her mitigating circumstances, as attorney Mark Morasch pointed out, was that she had cancer and was suffering from a major depression.

Nonetheless, 9th state District Court Judge Fred Edwards handed Janowski the maximum 25-year sentence allowed under an agreement, with Cape Software attorney Brad Beers later commenting:

We were lucky to be in court with Judge Edwards. He’s someone with enough experience to know when compassion is appropriate, and when a stiff sentence is appropriate.

On the other side, Patricia Janowskis attorney Mark Morasch was taken aback, saying that his client had wanted to plead guilty from the very start. He said he expected a sentence of eight years in prison at most, after she pleaded guilty to first-degree felony aggregate theft. However, the judges decision was effectively a death, explained Morasch, before stating

Gambling was the only thing that made her feel good and she couldnt stop. Addictions are a powerful enemy. That’s no excuse. It’s going to cost the state far more to house an elderly prisoner with a history of cancer. I don’t see her leaving prison alive.

By SHERIFF Mike Scott

Despite what I think will likely be a myriad of hoops and circles throughout the legislative process and significant, well-funded opposition from the Seminole Tribe; the matter of a proposed destination resort/casino has spurred considerable debate locally.

Recently, I was invited to participate in a panel forum. As with virtually any issue, opinions abound and numerous media stories following the discussion have included bits and pieces of what I expressed that day. I have fielded a considerable amount of input from constituents and the debate seems to be robust, so as your sheriff, I want to make my positions clear.

I think it noteworthy to inform you that I do not gamble. In fact, I dont even play the Lottery. During a recent FBI event at the Seminole Hard Rock a couple of hours from here, I never touched a card, rolled the dice or played a slot machine. Despite my personal decision to abstain, I thoroughly enjoyed the rest of the experience offered by the resort which included spacious rooms, great food, top notch entertainment and more. I liken it to the reality that people enjoy going on cruise ships but never refer to them as casino ships. The casino is merely a portion of the overall experience and like nearly everything in life it is an optional, personal choice.

Opponents cite crime increases as inevitable and yet the same can be said for any development of large scale. For example, there is little or no crime on vacant land until that land sports a large shopping mall, school or residential neighborhood. Casinos are actually very safe places. While at the Hard Rock, my room card was scanned every time I approached the elevator as a means of confirming who belongs in the hotel.

Meanwhile, anyone can walk through the front doors of a hospital and go straight into the elevator unchallenged. So which building is safer?

Lee County has had a gambling venue for 55 years and the Greyhound Track in Bonita Springs has been a great, community partner every step of the way. Proportionate to a much smaller county 55 years ago, the track was a major facility and perhaps generated debate similar to what we are hearing right now with the casino. Ultimately, however, the sky did not fall and the track now includes betting on simulcast horse racing and big poker with slot machines seemingly imminent.

Billboards line our major roadways promoting casinos and Floridians are bombarded daily with enticements to play Floridas Lottery for the chance to win millions of dollars. Other examples of sanctioned gambling in Florida abound and as I quipped at the panel discussion, I was surprised the check-in table was not selling 50/50 raffle tickets.

I would submit to you that Florida is already a gambling state and to suggest otherwise would be hypocritical. A single location wherein less than 10 percent of the entire proposal is a casino will not redefine our community or our crime rate, just like a casino on board does not redefine a cruise ship.

- Mike Scott is the sheriff of Lee County.

New Yorkers are going all in for casino gambling, a new poll has found.

Our Glenn Blain reports:

A Quinnipiac University survey Wednesday showed a whopping 64% of state voters and 65% of city voters – favored Atlantic City or Las Vegas style casinos in New York, up from 56% who favored such casinos in September.

New Yorkers say shuffle and deal, said Quinnipiac pollster Maurice Carroll.

Only 31% of New York voters opposed legalized casino gambling and another 68% said such casinos would be good for the states economy, according to the poll.

Gov. Cuomo has called for legalized gambling in the state and is expected next year to propose changing the states Constitution to do so. The governor has yet to detail where in the state hed allow casinos.

A constitutional amendment must be approved by two successive Legislatures and by the public in a referendum.

Quinnipiacs poll also revealed that New Yorkers are split on the thorny issue of hydro-fracking. Forty four percent of New Yorkers support the controversial natural gas drilling procedure while 45% oppose it because of environmental concerns.

NEW HAVEN, Ind. (WANE) – The Indiana Gaming Commission has confiscated dozens of gaming machines after the agency received a complaint of illegal gambling at Internet Sensations in New Haven.

The company is located in the 700 block of West Lincoln Highway in Lincoln Plaza. Agents confiscated 48 of the illegal machines Wednesday morning.

Most of the machines are basically computers.  Users buy internet time.  At Internet Sensations, it was a dollar for 12 minutes online.  The systems allegedly link users to different games on specific gambling websites.

If customers want to cash out, the systems print out a ticket with winnings.  Then, the customer would take the ticket to a business employee, and collect their winnings.

Despite what the owners may have thought, the Indiana Gaming Commission said the internet gaming machines are illegal in Indiana.

People need to understand that internet gambling is illegal. They also need to understand that the only places you can legally gamble are the casinos, lottery, race tracks, stuff like that, said  Larry Rollins with the Indiana Gaming Commission.  The legislature does not provide an exception for this (internet gaming machines) type of operation.

Agents also confiscated three machines from Wrigley Field Bar and Grill on East State Boulevard in Fort Wayne.

Rollins said the Allen County Prosecutors Office will most likely file charges against the owners of Internet Sensations.

Police partly uncovered the gambling operation because Internet Sensations was allegedly advertising on area radio stations.  The company had only been open for two or three weeks when it was raided.

JACKSON COUNTY — Nine people arrested at a home where authorities say an illegal gambling operation involving wagers on football games have been taken into custody in Jackson County, Sheriff Mike Byrd said this morning.

Acting on tip about possible illegal drugs being sold at the home on Jackson Avenue, authorities served a search warrant there this week and found 14 people in the yard around the home drinking alcohol and placing bets at the #x201C;illegal gambling house,#x201D; Byrd said. Inside the home, agents with the Narcotics Task Force of Jackson County found seven more people along with a desk set up in one of the rooms with logs documenting the bets.

Arrested inside the home were: Gwendolyn Fairman, 62, of Briggs Street, Moss Point, charged with gambling and possession of a the controlled substance Lortab; Eugene Willard Roland, 67, of Dupont Street, Pascagoula, charged with gambling; Dwayne Liddell McLeod, 49, of Jackson Street, Moss Point, charged with gambling; Jarvis Harris, 26, of Academy Drive, Gautier, charged with gambling; Terry Anthony Austin, 44, of Macphelah Road, Moss Point, gambling and possession of the controlled substance Spice, a synthetic form of marijuana; Sylvester Peters, 68, of Fan Avenue, Moss Point, charged with gambling; Cedric Henry, 36, of Kimberly Drive, Moss Point, charged with possession of the controlled substance Oxycontin and gambling; and Robert Keys Jr., 64, of Jefferson Avenue, Moss Point, charged with gambling and possession of the controlled substance Lortab.

The state Gambling Control Board has voted unanimously to ask lawmakers approve additional staff to oversee the new Oxford Casino and the expanded operations of the Hollywood Slots casino in Bangor.

Executive Director Pat Fleming told the board that slot machines can be easily monitored electronically, but table games need inspectors on the floor while the games are underway.

He said the inspectors would conduct random inspections of the games when theyre open, and when the games are closed also doing inspections then.

I plan on using the auditors to get out into the field looking at the books, looking at the way things are being done, Fleming said. That way, the board–if somebody says Are we really overseeing these facilities?–the board can look them in the eye and say, Yes we are.

Fleming is asking for five inspectors for Oxford, another inspector on top of the four in Bangor, an inspector supervisor and an additional state police detective and administrative staff, according to Capitol News Service. The money would come from the one percent of gambling revenues set aside to pay for oversight.

#160;

(NECN: Peter Howe, Boston) Massachusetts already runs one of the biggest-grossing state lotteries in the nation per capita — $4.5 billion a year, with over $900 million of that flowing back to cities and towns as aid to local governments, schools, and public safety agencies.

Now state treasurer and Lottery Commission chairman Steve Grossman has an idea for boosting sales even more: “In early January, the Massachusetts State Lottery will enable its customers to use debit cards to purchase lottery products,” Grossman said in an interview Wednesday.

Grossman’s theory is that many people are already using debit cards, not paper dollars, all day long for everything else. “Debit cards are cash. Its not like cash. It is a 21st century form of cash,” Grossman said. “So why not let people use the money they already have?” (According to the website CreditCards.com, as of late 2010 Visa had 397 million debit cards in circulation in the US, MasterCard, 123 million, accounting for nearly $1.4 trillion of purchases in 2010.)

But Grossman’s plan is raising some concerns at the Massachusetts Council on Compulsive Gambling.

“At the council, were always concerned when gambling is expanded,” said agency spokeswoman Margot Cahoon. The nine-person agency runs a gambling addiction hotline and other programs using a $1 million annual appropriation earmarked from Lottery revenues. “When people arent gambling with cash,” Cahoon said, “were afraid that that might make people not think of it as money as much as they could some cash in your pocket.”

Grossman said he respects those concerns but is confident existing gambling-addiction efforts can address problems.

“Im going to let people make their own decisions about how to spend their money, and Im always going to be conscious of people who overdo it and educate people” about not overspending on lottery games.

Massachusetts Lottery Commission officials say that of the 42 states that have lotteries, 33 already allow people to buy tickets with lottery cards. Especially in high-crime areas where convenience store owners have to worry about being held up by robbers, many lottery agents have said they like being able to reduce significantly how much cash they have on hand and have lottery ticket proceeds automatically swept into their bank accounts.

Grossman says the lottery will closely monitor its 7,500 agents through the state to make sure none are taking credit cards – or, as a number of stores in Lynn, Mass., were recently caught doing, allowing people to use EBT “food stamps” card to buy prohibited non-food items.

“If you dont restrict yourself to the debit cards that were permitting, we will come down on you like a ton of bricks,” Grossman said. “You will be hauled in for a hearing, and you can easily lose your license, and nobody wants to lose their license.”

Grossman said he expects to roll out debit card purchases sometime after Jan. 1, only after a thorough process of training store owners and making sure they’ll keep customers’ debit-card PIN numbers safe.

Cahoon said she hopes addicts prone to overspending won’t slip down a slippery slope with debit cards.

“We hope that people will set limits on their gambling, both the amount of money and the amount of time that they spend on gambling,” Cahoon said, “and that theyll stay in those limits to keep safe.”

With videographer Bob Ricci

ABINGDON, Va. – –

A Cedar Bluff, Va. man pled guilty yesterday morning in the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia in Abingdon to charges involving the operation of an illegal gambling establishment.

Garfield White, 58, of Cedar Bluff Va., pled guilty to one count of operating an illegal gambling establishment and one count of failing to file a tax return.

He faces a potential maximum punishment of six years imprisonment and up to $225,000 in fines. The defendant also agreed to pay a money judgment to the United States in the amount of $20,000.

For years, Mr. White ran a highly profitable illegal gambling business in Russell County, United States Attorney Timothy J. Heaphy said today. His high stakes poker games generated considerable income, none of which he reported to the IRS. When individuals like Mr. White engage in illegal activity and attempt to hide the proceeds of their crimes, this office hold them accountable.

According to evidence presented at the guilty plea hearing, in early 2009 the Virginia State Police, the Russell County Sheriffs Department and Internal Revenue Service initiated an investigation into the operation of an illegal gambling establishment located in a house in the Belfast area of Russell County, Virginia.

From July 2009 until August 2010, surveillance was conducted the Belfast location that revealed a circuit of poker players who attended this poker game and other games, including at least 42 different individuals who were observed at the Russell County establishment. Players were observed driving vehicles registered in Virginia, Tennessee, West Virginia, Georgia, Kentucky, and Alabama.

Surveillance, interviews and undercover operations determined that Whites game occurred once a week, that White provided food and drinks to the players, and that games would last from 5 to 10 hours or more.

Furthermore, pots in excess of $10,000 were not unusual and players were known to lose in excess of $20,000 in one day of gambling. In August 2010, search warrants were executed at Whites gambling operation by the Russell County Sheriffs Office, Virginia State Police, Internal Revenue Service, and the United States Marshals Service.

There was an active game in progress at the Belfast location when the warrants were executed and White was present at the time of the execution of the warrant. Gambling paraphernalia and other evidence related to the operation of a gambling establishment was located and seized and approximately $20,000 in cash was seized from individuals participating in the poker game.

The investigation concluded that White hired individuals to serve as dealers for the games and utilized other individuals to assist with selling chips, monitoring play, and providing food and beverage service to players.

A conservative estimate based upon the investigation indicated that an average of $100-$200 an hour was cut from the pot at each establishment for the benefit of the operator. As a result of the illegal operations, White received an estimated $50,000 or more annually in gross income.

The investigation also determined that White filed income tax returns in years prior to 2009, he had not filed income tax returns for the calendar year 2009 reflecting his income from the poker operation or any other income. His income from 2009 was in excess of $10,000.

The investigation of this case was conducted by the Russell County, Virginia Sheriffs Office, Washington County, Virginia Sheriffs Office, Virginia State Police, Russell County Commonwealths Attorneys Office, Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigators, and the United States Marshals Service.

Assistant United States Attorney Zachary T. Lee of the United States Attorneys Office in Abingdon is prosecuting the case.

The Greens yesterday released the party’s problem gambling discussion paper. The paper advocates, among other things, for general practitioners to play a greater role in screening and treating problem gamblers – at times with naltrexone, the controversial drug used to treat other addictions.

Gambling…

Deputy national police chief Pol General Panupong Singhara na Ayutthaya led a team of 100 officers yesterday on an early-morning raid into a major gambling den in Bangkoks Tao Poon area and arrested 199 patrons and a worker.

Several people present managed to flee because police found it difficult to navigate the dens complicated exit system. Meanwhile, some of the suspects have alleged that police fired tear gas at them – a claim that has been dismissed.

Panupong declined to provide details on the raid, saying that the same strategy would be used to crack down on other dens as per Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yoobamrungs policy. Panupong also said he would launch an inquiry to see whether any officers from the Tao Poon police station were involved in the den.

The deputy chief also dismissed claims that police fired tear gas into the den before arresting the patrons.

However, a dishwasher, identified only as Duan, claimed that she had seen three or four police officers in plain clothes come to the den a few days before the raid, which she said started with police firing tear gas into the den.

National police chief Pol General Priewpan Damapong said his inquiry showed that some officers may have used their personal tear-gas sprays in self-defence. He added that there were four major gambling dens in Bangkok, in the Phya Thai, Pratunam, Thon Buri and Tao Poon areas.

Meanwhile, Chalerm said police had seized Bt45 million worth of gambling chips during the 4am raid yesterday.

Metropolitan Police deputy chief Pol Maj-General Amnuay Nimmano said 86 men and 114 women had been arrested, adding that the gamblers were playing baccarat and kam tua, a game involving bets on how many seeds are held in each hand. He said police also seized gambling equipment and a pistol.

Suspects who have confessed will be taken to court, while those awaiting interrogation are under police detention. He added that though he personally thought it was acceptable for police officers to use tear gas in self-defence, those who insist that it had been used indiscriminately could file a complaint against the officers and an investigation would be launched.

As police file charges against suspects for gambling – a charge that is punishable by up to three months in jail and Bt2,000 in fines – they also plan to seek an arrest warrant for the dens landlord and call on the Anti-Money-Laundering Office to look into the case because it involves more than 100 suspects and more than Bt10 million.

In related news, the Ratchadaphisek Criminal Court yesterday postponed the reading of a verdict in the case of businessman Phaijit Por Pratunam Thammaroj-pinij and eight others to February 21. The court said it had many outstanding cases and was behind schedule because it had to be closed for two weeks during the flood disaster. Phaijit and his accomplices are being tried for allegedly operating a gambling den, possessing stolen items and charging too much interest.