After an investigation by the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office, two casinos in the northern part of the county have been closed. According to the Commander of the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office Vice/Narcotics Division Capt. Daniel Alioto, said both were operating illegally. “I don’t believe they will open up again,” he said. He added, if they do open the sheriff’s office will pursue action through the state’s attorney’s office to close them again. One of the casinos, in Charlotte Hall is called TPR and the other in New Market is affiliated with an animal rescue organization.
The Vice/Narcotics Division released the following statement this morning: “Several months ago, the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office Vice/Narcotics Division initiated an investigation into alleged criminal offenses related to the operation of a casino in Charlotte Hall, Maryland. Thus far, the investigation has revealed a Prince George’s County based charitable organization was supposed to be the recipient of proceeds from the operation of the casino which was being managed by an individual from Huntingtown, Maryland.
“Ongoing briefings were conducted with the State’s Attorney’s office which included banking records, document research, reviews of interviews with employees of the casino and confidential sources. Probable cause was developed which indicates the casino manager was operating the casino in a manner contrary to Maryland and St. Mary’s County law pertaining to gambling and gaming events as well as theft.
“In an effort to further the investigation, detectives obtained search and seizure warrants for several locations including the casino establishment in Charlotte Hall, Md, the casino manager’s residence in Huntingtown, Md, and the principle office of the charitable organization in Upper Marlboro, Md.
“On October 27 and 28, members of the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office Vice/Narcotics Division, with assistance from the Baltimore Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) and the Prince George’s County Police Department, executed the search and seizure warrants which resulted in the seizure of numerous documents and a large amount of U.S. currency.
“Detectives seized documents which had evidentiary value as well as nearly $20,000 in cash from the casino establishment. Another search warrant at the manager’s home yielded additional documents and $5,000 in cash. The investigation into the operation of the casino establishment is ongoing as investigators examine the financial records of the casino, the casino manager, and the charitable organization as well as the relationship between the casino, the charitable organization, and the casino manager. Criminal charges are pending a final review with the State’s Attorney’s Office.”
The press release relates to the activities at TPR. Similar actions are being taken against the other casino, according to Alioto.
