Brass Rail owners accused of stealing charity’s money

sockgirl77

sockgirl77

Well-Known Member
http://www.somdnews.com/article/201...arity-x2019-s-money&template=southernMaryland

A Callaway couple has been charged through summonses with theft and gambling violations in court papers alleging they stole thousands of dollars from a charity by illegally pocketing a share of proceeds from a bar’s game machines.

Charles Benedict Gatton, 74, and Hilda Mae Gatton, 73, declined to comment on the matter Tuesday morning at the Brass Rail sports bar on Route 5 in Great Mills, saying they had not been served with any charges and would refer any questions to a lawyer.

Charles Gatton, the owner of the business, stole $73,892 from 2008 to last December that belonged to the Leonardtown Lions Club, charging papers allege, after he entered an agreement with the club to maintain a gaming device at the bar, and evenly split its proceeds between the club and the bar. Charging papers allege that Hilda Gatton, a member of the club, illegally kept $24,460 of the gross proceeds for her personal benefit.

The agreement “is in violation of the state and local gaming statutes,” St. Mary’s sheriff’s Capt. Daniel Alioto wrote in a charges application filed this week, and the investigation initiated last month also found that Benedict Gatton also entered into an agreement with Roger Benfield’s R.E. Enterprises Inc. to put gaming devices managed by Benfield in the bar.

Benfield and Gatton each would receive half of the proceeds from the gaming devices, the sheriff’s captain wrote in the charges application, adding that a review of financial records revealed that Benfield and Gatton “both received approximately $109,498 each in proceeds from the gaming devices.”

Benfield “retained all of his share of the proceeds for personal benefit, while [Gatton] kept $73,892 of his share of the proceeds for personal benefit and [gave] the Leonardtown Lions Club $35,606,” the charges application states, “thereby violating the statewide gaming provision and perpetuating a theft scheme intentionally designed to deprive the Leonardtown Lions Club of its full share of the proceeds.”

A search of online court records located no charges against Benfield, who could not be reached for comment on the matter.
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The news is hopping today! :lol:
 
getbent

getbent

Thats how them b*tch's R
I saw this on FB. Had a couple people I know, who know them or worked for them during that time, say they don't believe it for one second. Curious to know what made someone look into this in the first place.
 
Vince

Vince

......
Ahh, the good ole days...skimming the take on the slot machines, getting a piece of the action on prostitution, etc.
 
huntr1

huntr1

.
getbent said:
Curious to know what made someone look into this in the first place.
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After the illegal casinos got shut down, the police went back to keeping an eye on the slots. They are known for illegal skim operations (slots in bars, not just at the Rail), so they do surveillance and audit the operations regularly. Can't have small non-profits and bars cutting into the state's operation at the casinos.
 
getbent

getbent

Thats how them b*tch's R
huntr1 said:
After the illegal casinos got shut down, the police went back to keeping an eye on the slots. They are known for illegal skim operations (slots in bars, not just at the Rail), so they do surveillance and audit the operations regularly. Can't have small non-profits and bars cutting into the state's operation at the casinos.
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If so, I would have thought this would have been found out before now. Didn't the article say this went back as far as 2008? I don't remember how long ago the busted the illegal ones.
 
huntr1

huntr1

.
FBI and Sheriff shut down the illegal casinos about a year ago. Takes time to properly investigate and audit the books.
 
Vince

Vince

......
huntr1 said:
FBI and Sheriff shut down the illegal casinos about a year ago. Takes time to properly investigate and audit the books.
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Didn't know we actually had places around here to play the slots, but then I don't gamble so.....:shrug:
 
Lurk

Lurk

Happy Creepy Ass Cracka
getbent said:
If so, I would have thought this would have been found out before now. Didn't the article say this went back as far as 2008? I don't remember how long ago the busted the illegal ones.
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When the bar owner is skimming $40 to $50 a month, it takes a lot of years to accumulate enough to make the headlines POP and make it appear the bar owner was really getting rich.
 
B

BernieP

Resident PIA
huntr1 said:
Are we supposed to be surprised? I'm not.
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I'm not a "from here" but have been regaled with tales on how certain people went from well known, but never prosecuted criminal, to respectable business.

getbent said:
I saw this on FB. Had a couple people I know, who know them or worked for them during that time, say they don't believe it for one second. Curious to know what made someone look into this in the first place.
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If you read the story in the Enterprise, they had been warned. Part of the scheme seems to involve joining said club and then acting on behalf of said club to collect the proceeds from the machines.
In Las Vegas the mob called it skimming.
 
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