|
(Cleveland) - A
Wooster man and his company were sentenced as a result of their guilty pleas
related to gambling and racketeering in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court.
On
March 27, Richard Johnson, 67, was sentenced for convictions of gambling and
possession of criminal tools. His company Silver State Inc., 2709 Tanglewood
Drive, Wooster, was also sentenced for the felony charge of attempted engaging
in a pattern of corrupt activity.
As
part of the sentence, Johnson was ordered to forfeit more than $320,000 and
placed on two years of community control sanctions, while Silver State Inc. was
ordered to pay an additional $10,000 fine. Johnson and Silver State Inc., also
agreed to, “…immediately cease all business operations related to the Puzzle
Bug electronic gaming device and/or other electronic gaming devices, including
but not limited to, the manufacture, sale, placement, distribution,
advertisement, collections, service and/or maintenance.”
Agents
with the Ohio Investigative Unit conducted the four year investigation into the
illegal criminal enterprise, along with the United States Secret Service,
Wooster Police Department, the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation, the Ohio
Attorney General’s office, and the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office. The
investigation focused on the manufacture, distribution and use of illegal slot
machines across the state of Ohio.
During
the course of the investigation, more than 40 individuals and companies were
convicted of engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity, money laundering,
gambling and possession of criminal tools. OIU agents seized more than 400 illegal
slot machines and courts have ordered more than $4.3 million in forfeiture.
Additional
charges are expected on several out-of-state manufacturers identified during
the investigation.
# # #
| 
