Arrington
Nelson County, Virginia
Just after noon Friday, Nelson lawmen along with agents from The Virginia Alcohol Beverage Commission and the Bedford County Sheriff’s Department raided the Little Texas convenience store near the county line on U.S. 29 South the far Southern end of the Nelson near the Amherst border.
Nelson County Sheriff, David Brooks says the seizure of the machines marked the end of several months of an undercover operation looking into the illegal slot machines that he says were on site. “They were slot machines that pay out on a vouchers and I.O.U.’s. It is illegal to operate a slot machine that pays out money in the State Of Virginia,” Sheriff Brooks said Friday afternoon outside the small market that reopened within the past two years.
The sheriff says that four different people have been charged with 12 felony counts of illegal gambling along with 4 administrative violations involving the store’s ABC license. The sheriff went on to say that agents had been going into the store over the past several months documenting the illegal payouts.
Charges are pending against four different people according to the sheriff, they are:
Joseph Charles Pallotti, SR
Donna Pallotti
Richard Gresha
Dennis Maddox
Sheriff Brooks says the case will be presented to the next term of the Nelson County Grand Jury for direct indictment.
This is crazy when the Commonwealth Attourney approved this and papers to prove it. They have nothing to be quilty of. Shame on Nelson county!
Why is this against the law anyway? Shouldn’t we be free to do as we please so long as it doesn’t harm anyone else?
I could be wrong, but I don’t believe a Commonwealth Attorney would have the right to tell someone they could operate a gambling operation.
I did find a website regarding gambling laws in Virginia:
http://www.gambling-law-us.com/State-Laws/Virginia/
From that site:
§ 18.2-328. Conducting illegal gambling operation; penalties.
The operator of an illegal gambling enterprise, activity or operation shall be guilty of a Class 6 felony. However, any such operator who engages in an illegal gambling operation which (i) has been or remains in substantially continuous operation for a period in excess of thirty days or (ii) has gross revenue of $2,000 or more in any single day shall be fined not more than $20,000 and imprisoned not less than one year nor more than ten years.
As used in this section, the term “gross revenue” means the total amount of illegal gambling transactions handled, dealt with, received by or placed with such operation, as distinguished from any net figure or amount from which deductions are taken, without regard to whether money or any other thing of value actually changes hands.
And
§ 18.2-331. Illegal possession, etc., of gambling device; penalty.
A person is guilty of illegal possession of a gambling device when he manufactures, sells, transports, rents, gives away, places or possesses, or conducts or negotiates any transaction affecting or designed to affect ownership, custody or use of any gambling device, believing or having reason to believe that the same is to be used in the advancement of unlawful gambling activity. Violation of any provision of this section shall constitute a Class 1 misdemeanor.
Would not confiscation of these machines and a stern police warning be enough for Joe, Donna, Richard, and Dennis in this case? Since the back room of Little Texas was rented out to the true owners of these machines with an approval letter from the Commonweath Attorney to operate them. 12 felony counts can really hurt a person operating a small business especially during these struggling economic times. Where did the Law come up with 12 felony counts? I read the law written at http://www.gambling-law-us.com/state-laws/Virginia/. What I read there said a (=1) Class 6 felony and/or a Class 1 misdemeanor? You read it. We have shopped at Little Texas, mostly for bags of ice, years before it closed and Joe and Donna reopened it. It is the closest market to our farm. We were saddened when the last owner closed down I believe for retirement. We were delighted when Joe and Donna reopened it. We often stop in after working around the farm for one of Donna’s delicious pork bbq sandwiches, tomato juice, chips, bags of ice and occasionally a Colt 45 single. Donna makes the best pork bbq in Nelson Co. And their sign out front has a beautiful woman to look at. Please don’t shut down Little Texas. We’ve grown to love them. We also appreciate Ann Taylors Family Restaurant. We would feel crushed if either of them ceased to exist.
Ignorance of the law is no excuse. It is logical to think that some people think that themselves and the friends are untouchable because of who they are. well read the law. It is plain and spells out the violation. It is apparent they knew what was going on or they wouldnt have been raided.