Center Stage Alabama Raided, Machines Confiscated
By: Ken Curtis
Updated: July 25, 2012
Agents from the office of Alabama Attorney General Luther Strange, aided by Houston County deputies, served a search warrant Wednesday morning at Center Stage Alabama. A person familiar with the investigation says all electronic bingo machines have been confiscated.
The following is a news release from the attorney general's office:
Attorney
General Luther Strange, Houston
County District Attorney Doug Valeska and Houston County Sheriff Andy
Hughes announced that a search warrant was served today at Center Stage
Alabama in Houston County by law enforcement agents from the Attorney
General's Office, the Department of Public Safety
and the Houston County Sheriff's Office. This law enforcement action was
taken in response to an ongoing investigation of illegal gambling
operations. The search warrant was served this morning at Center Stage
in Cottonwood, AL.
"Today's actions are the culmination of an investigative
process over the last several months," said Attorney General Strange.
"From my first day in office, I have worked to ensure that illegal
gambling laws are enforced consistently across the state."
As a result of the Attorney General's efforts, the
country's largest gambling machine manufacturers removed their machines
from Alabama last year, including the removal of all gambling machines
at the shuttered Country Crossing casino. The casino, however, changed
its name to Center Stage and reopened with
new machines that state law enforcement agents determined were illegal.
"My office, along with Houston County District Attorney
Doug Valeska, worked to try to resolve this matter with minimal
controversy," said Attorney General Strange. "We offered Center Stage an
opportunity to resolve this matter by surrendering its machines to the
State and to allow a court to determine the legality
of the machines. After Center Stage simply refused to compromise or
discuss this matter in good faith, we sent the casino a written order to
cease and desist its illegal operations. Unfortunately, the casino
continued to operate in open defiance of the rule
of law and we have been left with no alternative but to treat this as we
would any other law enforcement matter."
The search warrant served today culminated in the
seizure of several hundred machines and an undisclosed amount of cash
from Center Stage. These machines, along with the seized money, will be
held as evidence and will be subject to a forfeiture procedure in the
Circuit Court of Houston County.
"Going forward, the Legislature can put an end to
this type of illegal activity by simply increasing the penalty for the
existing crime of operating an illegal slot machine from a misdemeanor
to a felony. Until then, these individuals stand to make millions of
dollars in illegal gambling profits while risking
only a slap-on-the-wrist misdemeanor charge and law enforcement will
continue to be forced to expend valuable resources to deal with the
growing problem," said Attorney General Strange.
The following is a prepared statement by Houston County Sheriff Andy Hughes:
The following is a prepared statement by Houston County Sheriff Andy Hughes:
I was recently contacted by Alabama Attorney General Luther Strange. A
request was made for assistance in the execution of a search
warrant related to the operation of electronic bingo at Center Stage
Alabama in Houston County. I sent personnel from the Houston County
Sheriff's Office to go with agents from the Attorney General's Office to
be on hand for the execution of the search warrant.
My main concern during the execution of this search warrant was to make
sure that it was carried out in a lawful and proper manner.
I will not be involved in a media circus concerning the legal action.
Any further inquiries should be addressed to the Attorney General's
Office.
I would like to encourage the legislature and the Alabama Supreme Court
to do everything within their power to resolve the issue of
gambling in the State of Alabama in a timely manner.
