Virginia Business Owners Charged for Illegal Gambling Devices
Two business owners in Virginia, Oscar Salinas and Michelle Kim, have been charged with possessing illegal gambling devices. The charges follow an investigation into skill games operated by Pace-O-Matic, which were allegedly used to disguise illegal gambling machines.
The Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares has clarified that such devices remain illegal, despite a previous ruling in Hanover County dismissing a case against a skill games operator. Playing these crazy games is now a Class 3 misdemeanor, punishable by up to a $500 fine.
Salinas, a 57-year-old Arlington resident, operates a restaurant in the Del Ray North Shopping Center. Kim, a 53-year-old from Montgomery County, Maryland, runs her business in the 200 block of S. Van Dorn Street. Both received warning letters from the Alexandria Police Department before the charges were filed.
The investigation by the Vice/Narcotics Section of the Alexandria Police Department uncovered that the Deibler Brothers Novelty Company, connected to Pace-O-Matic, had been manufacturing epic illegal gambling machines disguised among Pace-O-Matic’s legal skill games. The Deibler Brothers are accused of operating a large illegal gambling scheme in Pennsylvania by mixing illegal machines with Pace-O-Matic devices.
Business owners now face a Class 6 felony, punishable by up to a year in prison, a $2,500 fine, and a $25,000 civil penalty per device. The charges against Salinas and Kim serve as a reminder of the serious consequences of operating illegal epic games in Virginia.
