Friday, August 27, 2004
Gambling Ring Busted - News - Centre View - Connection NewspapersGambling Ring Busted
Centreville couple charged with running illegal card games.
By Bonnie Hobbs
August 26, 2004
As many as 30 people a night took part in illegal card games in the basement of this townhouse at 14623 Seasons Drive in Centreville's Bryarton community.
A friendly game of cards is one thing. But one where bets are made and serious money changes hands is against the law. Accordingly, Fairfax County police have charged a Centreville couple and a Maryland man with conducting an illegal gambling operation.
"The people running it were clearing about $40,000 a month," said police spokesman Bud Walker. "They were playing card games such as poker and blackjack."
CHARGED WERE husband and wife Bradley L. McLaughlin, 27, and Jeanna M. Anderson, 26, both of 14623 Seasons Drive in Centreville's Bryarton community, off Stone Road, plus McLaughlin's father, Dexter L. McLaughlin, 52, of 8352 Montgomery Run Road in Ellicott City, Md.
Police believe an "illegal gambling parlor" was being run out of the Centreville address and, on Aug. 5 at 10:54 p.m. — with search warrant in hand — they raided the place. When the dust cleared, they drove away with poker tables, chips and cards, plus piles of cash from stashes throughout the townhouse.
Walker said police had conducted surveillance there over several months, accumulating evidence of the crime. This, in turn, led to the search and subsequent arrests. Between Aug. 5-17, police processed the information they'd obtained. Then, last Tuesday, Aug. 17, they served the arrest warrants.
He said the McLaughlins and Anderson turned themselves in to the magistrate's office in the county jail. But they weren't the only ones arrested. When the police swooped in on Aug. 5, said Walker, "23 people were playing [cards], and it was in line with the number of people usually participating [there]. They were all charged with misdemeanor participating in gambling."
However, the trio allegedly running the show, say police, were charged with felonies. If convicted, they could each receive five years in prison. In an Aug. 5 affidavit for a search warrant to seek evidence of illicit gambling in the Centreville home, police Det. David Baucom stated that investigation reportedly revealed the existence of illegal poker games there.
"THOUSANDS OF dollars are wagered in these games," he wrote. "The poker games at 14623 Seasons Drive may sometimes last into the next day, and [the McLaughlins and Anderson] are compensated by the players for allowing them to play there."
According to the detective, "players in the game keep their money in their pockets and wallets. The dealers also keep money used in the poker game in their pockets. There are two, 12-person poker tables in the basement and, when [they're] full, players wait in line to get a seat. On any given night, there are approximately 30 players in the basement."
Besides seizing poker paraphernalia on Aug. 5, police also confiscated cash from the two tables, the kitchen cabinet and office, the jewelry cabinet and shoe stand in the master bedroom, Anderson's wallet and pocket and a hidden stair drawer. Also seized were records and documents. The Centreville couple has an Oct. 6 court date.
Centreville couple charged with running illegal card games.
By Bonnie Hobbs
August 26, 2004
As many as 30 people a night took part in illegal card games in the basement of this townhouse at 14623 Seasons Drive in Centreville's Bryarton community.
A friendly game of cards is one thing. But one where bets are made and serious money changes hands is against the law. Accordingly, Fairfax County police have charged a Centreville couple and a Maryland man with conducting an illegal gambling operation.
"The people running it were clearing about $40,000 a month," said police spokesman Bud Walker. "They were playing card games such as poker and blackjack."
CHARGED WERE husband and wife Bradley L. McLaughlin, 27, and Jeanna M. Anderson, 26, both of 14623 Seasons Drive in Centreville's Bryarton community, off Stone Road, plus McLaughlin's father, Dexter L. McLaughlin, 52, of 8352 Montgomery Run Road in Ellicott City, Md.
Police believe an "illegal gambling parlor" was being run out of the Centreville address and, on Aug. 5 at 10:54 p.m. — with search warrant in hand — they raided the place. When the dust cleared, they drove away with poker tables, chips and cards, plus piles of cash from stashes throughout the townhouse.
Walker said police had conducted surveillance there over several months, accumulating evidence of the crime. This, in turn, led to the search and subsequent arrests. Between Aug. 5-17, police processed the information they'd obtained. Then, last Tuesday, Aug. 17, they served the arrest warrants.
He said the McLaughlins and Anderson turned themselves in to the magistrate's office in the county jail. But they weren't the only ones arrested. When the police swooped in on Aug. 5, said Walker, "23 people were playing [cards], and it was in line with the number of people usually participating [there]. They were all charged with misdemeanor participating in gambling."
However, the trio allegedly running the show, say police, were charged with felonies. If convicted, they could each receive five years in prison. In an Aug. 5 affidavit for a search warrant to seek evidence of illicit gambling in the Centreville home, police Det. David Baucom stated that investigation reportedly revealed the existence of illegal poker games there.
"THOUSANDS OF dollars are wagered in these games," he wrote. "The poker games at 14623 Seasons Drive may sometimes last into the next day, and [the McLaughlins and Anderson] are compensated by the players for allowing them to play there."
According to the detective, "players in the game keep their money in their pockets and wallets. The dealers also keep money used in the poker game in their pockets. There are two, 12-person poker tables in the basement and, when [they're] full, players wait in line to get a seat. On any given night, there are approximately 30 players in the basement."
Besides seizing poker paraphernalia on Aug. 5, police also confiscated cash from the two tables, the kitchen cabinet and office, the jewelry cabinet and shoe stand in the master bedroom, Anderson's wallet and pocket and a hidden stair drawer. Also seized were records and documents. The Centreville couple has an Oct. 6 court date.
Poker World Champion Deals With Role in Fame
By Tom Kasprzack
Published on 8/27/2004
Stonington -- After winning $5 million at the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas in May, Greg Raymer has been riding a wave of celebrity, doing photo shoots, granting interviews and speaking at events. He has even been contracted to endorse poker products and write a book on the game.
But Raymer said all he is thinking about right now is that he is happy to be home. Shortly after winning the grand prize in the World Series, he anticipated doing a lot of traveling and quit his job as a patent attorney at Pfizer Inc.
Indeed, he has been on the road constantly, he said, doing guest speaking at poker tournaments around the country, and some anteing while on the road.
"At some point my celebrity will die down," Raymer said. "But I'll do what I can to milk it."
According to Raymer, of the $5 million he won, 40 percent has already gone to pay off his backers in the tournament and a portion of it, of course, will go to Uncle Sam. All in all Raymer said he walked away with winnings of about $2 million.
"It's not enough to last for 40 years. I've got to earn more money doing something," he said -- which is why he is focusing his time and energy on marketing and promoting himself as the World Series poker champion.
He foresees that he will probably go back to being an attorney one day, but for now has done interviews and photo shoots for ESPN and is in negotiations with a publishing company to write a book about his strategy in the game of poker, as well as a poker products company to wear a shirt with their logo on it while he plays.
Raymer began his hobby playing cards while in college, tossing nickel and dime bets through clouds of smoke on table tops dressed with sticky puddles of beer. It was a once-a-month thing that never amounted to much, he recalled.
After Raymer graduated, he received a gift that would ultimately change his life.
"An aunt of mine, for whatever reason, gave me a book on how to play blackjack," he said.
Raymer began playing at casinos in the Minnesota area, where he lived at the time while obtaining his graduate degree. His mathematical mind started to become bored with the idea of blackjack and he started looking at other games of interest.
"Blackjack was never fun. It was just something I did in college to make money," Raymer said. "As a law student it was better (money) than I'd make at a minimum wage job."
After he moved to Chicago, where he found his first job as a lawyer, Raymer attended charity gambling events. Finding the maximum bets were not worth his time at the blackjack tables, he decided to peruse the floor and found himself sitting at a poker table.
"They had a poker game there and I went and played for fun. I enjoyed myself and thought, 'Let's start looking into this poker thing a little more,'" Raymer said.
Figuring he had learned so much about blackjack from books, Raymer decided he would do the same with poker and began studying books on the game.
Through the years he would keep studying, joining Internet forums, playing in various tournaments, continuing his education at the game that had piqued his interest.
Raymer began visiting Vegas once a year to gamble in tournaments. In 2001, he started competing in the World Series of Poker.
Over the years, he said, he has seen a surge in the number of poker players joining the World Series tournament. Raymer remembers the tournament bringing in 600 to 900 players from around the world. This past tournament drew 2,576. Raymer believes ESPN's televising of the event over the past couple of years is the reason for the record number of players this year.
"The growth of it has been very rapid," Raymer said.
When asked if he thought he would wind up at the last table in the tournament, Raymer replied, why wouldn't he?
"I'm a very mathematical person. In my mind I don't say that (a player) is a shoe-in," he said.
ESPN is airing the World Series of Poker Tournament every Tuesday from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. This coming Tuesday, Raymer said, there will be a lot of face time for him as they draw down to the final table.
Raymer said recently a waiter in Paris asked him if he was the World Series poker champion while he was eating dinner with his wife. He believes once the main event is aired on ESPN he will start being even more recognized, something this modest man said he will have to take in stride.
"I'm going to be getting a lot more of this stuff," he said.
By Tom Kasprzack
Published on 8/27/2004
Stonington -- After winning $5 million at the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas in May, Greg Raymer has been riding a wave of celebrity, doing photo shoots, granting interviews and speaking at events. He has even been contracted to endorse poker products and write a book on the game.
But Raymer said all he is thinking about right now is that he is happy to be home. Shortly after winning the grand prize in the World Series, he anticipated doing a lot of traveling and quit his job as a patent attorney at Pfizer Inc.
Indeed, he has been on the road constantly, he said, doing guest speaking at poker tournaments around the country, and some anteing while on the road.
"At some point my celebrity will die down," Raymer said. "But I'll do what I can to milk it."
According to Raymer, of the $5 million he won, 40 percent has already gone to pay off his backers in the tournament and a portion of it, of course, will go to Uncle Sam. All in all Raymer said he walked away with winnings of about $2 million.
"It's not enough to last for 40 years. I've got to earn more money doing something," he said -- which is why he is focusing his time and energy on marketing and promoting himself as the World Series poker champion.
He foresees that he will probably go back to being an attorney one day, but for now has done interviews and photo shoots for ESPN and is in negotiations with a publishing company to write a book about his strategy in the game of poker, as well as a poker products company to wear a shirt with their logo on it while he plays.
Raymer began his hobby playing cards while in college, tossing nickel and dime bets through clouds of smoke on table tops dressed with sticky puddles of beer. It was a once-a-month thing that never amounted to much, he recalled.
After Raymer graduated, he received a gift that would ultimately change his life.
"An aunt of mine, for whatever reason, gave me a book on how to play blackjack," he said.
Raymer began playing at casinos in the Minnesota area, where he lived at the time while obtaining his graduate degree. His mathematical mind started to become bored with the idea of blackjack and he started looking at other games of interest.
"Blackjack was never fun. It was just something I did in college to make money," Raymer said. "As a law student it was better (money) than I'd make at a minimum wage job."
After he moved to Chicago, where he found his first job as a lawyer, Raymer attended charity gambling events. Finding the maximum bets were not worth his time at the blackjack tables, he decided to peruse the floor and found himself sitting at a poker table.
"They had a poker game there and I went and played for fun. I enjoyed myself and thought, 'Let's start looking into this poker thing a little more,'" Raymer said.
Figuring he had learned so much about blackjack from books, Raymer decided he would do the same with poker and began studying books on the game.
Through the years he would keep studying, joining Internet forums, playing in various tournaments, continuing his education at the game that had piqued his interest.
Raymer began visiting Vegas once a year to gamble in tournaments. In 2001, he started competing in the World Series of Poker.
Over the years, he said, he has seen a surge in the number of poker players joining the World Series tournament. Raymer remembers the tournament bringing in 600 to 900 players from around the world. This past tournament drew 2,576. Raymer believes ESPN's televising of the event over the past couple of years is the reason for the record number of players this year.
"The growth of it has been very rapid," Raymer said.
When asked if he thought he would wind up at the last table in the tournament, Raymer replied, why wouldn't he?
"I'm a very mathematical person. In my mind I don't say that (a player) is a shoe-in," he said.
ESPN is airing the World Series of Poker Tournament every Tuesday from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. This coming Tuesday, Raymer said, there will be a lot of face time for him as they draw down to the final table.
Raymer said recently a waiter in Paris asked him if he was the World Series poker champion while he was eating dinner with his wife. He believes once the main event is aired on ESPN he will start being even more recognized, something this modest man said he will have to take in stride.
"I'm going to be getting a lot more of this stuff," he said.
