The man who once ran an arcade in Florida was charged with 32 counts of unlawful possession of slot machines. He was booked this week following a search in June.
Antonio Magnone, who has a permanent address in W.V., was arrested recently in Ohio. He was held in the Palm Beach County Jail after being extradited to Florida.
The bond was set at $15,000. Being an agent or employee of a gambling house is one of the charges against the suspect.
The investigation spanned several months. WPTV, a Florida TV station, reported that the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office got a tip that illegal gambling was taking place in the arcade.
When a player bets $10, the arcade puts another $10 of house money into the slot machine. WPTV said that players could win as much as $10,000 in the arcade.
There was a raid on the arcade on June 6. The same arcade was raided by detectives over a year ago. The brother of Magnone was arrested during the search.
The report said that he was charged with keeping a gambling house and bookmaking. Vincenzo Magnone pled guilty in the case. He was sentenced to five years of supervised release, according to a Florida online news site.
The business manager of the arcade was charged after the June 6 search of the arcade. She is accused of being an agent or employee of a gambling house, keeping a gambling house, and possession of a slot machine.
She has been released from jail. There is a pending court case.
Authorities estimate the slot machines at the arcade are worth $200,000.
In December of last year, eight illegal gaming properties in Florida were raided. 18 people were charged.
The casinos were located in several areas of Seminole County. Many of the dens were set up in strip plazas and had no distinguishing signs.
The den was used as a pawn shop. The other was marked as a billiards hall.
Summary:
Antonio Magnone, 35, charged with 32 counts of unlawful possession of slot machines. He was booked this week following a search in June of the Crowne Arcade. The arcade’s business manager, Marquita Margadonna, 66, was also charged. Based on their investigation, authorities estimate the slot machines at the arcade are worth about $200,000.