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231 Machines and $158K Seized in Florida Illegal Gambling Bust Linked to Suspended Sheriff

Law enforcement in Lake County, Florida, seized 231 illegal gambling machines and more than $158,000 in cash after raiding three locations after sunset on Jan. 8. Deputies searched The Hub and Hot Seats in Leesburg, along with House of Treasures in Umatilla.

12 January 2026

Andrew O'Malley

Photo by Zoshua Colah on Unsplash

Seven employees received notices to appear in court, which law enforcement typically uses for certain non-violent offenses. It carries the same legal weight as an arrest without any custody. The charges include keeping a gambling house and the possession of slot machines.

Several anonymous complaints from nearby residents led to an investigation, dubbed “Calvin Coolidge,” into these three establishments.

The Lake County Sheriff’s Office led the raids with help from detectives in nearby towns. They seized 56 illegal gambling machines at House of Treasures and $75,619 in cash. The search at The Hub yielded 98 machines and $46,597. Finally, they seized 77 machines and $36,621 in Hot Seats.

This wasn’t the first time that Hot Seats hit the headlines. It was one of ten businesses law enforcement raided in 2017 as part of “Operation Jackpot.” However, the facility reopened in the same location under the same name.

Proactively Going After Illegal Facilities

Regarding the three successful searches, Florida Gaming Control Commission Executive Director Alana Zimmer stated in an official release that seizing 231 illegal machines in one night is “impressive.” She warned other entities offering illegal gambling that they’ll face a similar fate.

The FGCC concluded by reminding the public that gambling machines are only permissible in licensed facilities. They include eight pari-mutuel facilities in Broward and Miami-Dade counties, in addition to the locations run by the Seminole Tribe of Florida.

The regulator’s reminder echoes comments that Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier made recently about cracking down on the rise of illegal gambling in the state.

The Jan. 8 raids are the latest in a long-running battle against these illicit operations. In December, the FGCC announced that in 2025 it had seized a total of $14,474,336 and 6,725 illegal slot machines during enforcement actions targeting illegal gambling statewide — more than double the roughly $7 million seized in 2024.

Authorities scored one of their biggest recent wins when they shut down the “IL Villagio Senior Entertainment Center” in July, following the seizure of $348,212 in cash and 190 illegal slot machines.

This facility funneled over $24 million through its bank accounts from January 2023 up until the raid. Some of these gambling facilities even targeted senior citizens by offering them free food.

As enforcement ramps up, lawmakers have also moved to tighten the legal framework around these illicit operations. There are two prefiled bills for the 2026 session, which convenes on Jan. 13 — House Bills 189 and 591.

The proposals would expand Florida’s definition of illegal gambling devices, increase penalties, and strengthen forfeiture authority, giving regulators and law enforcement broader tools to shut down storefront slot halls and sweepstakes-style gaming locations.

Links to a Suspended Sheriff

The story gains more relevance as Hot Seats has been referenced in court filings tied to the suspended Osceola County Sheriff Marcos Lopez. He allegedly protected these types of businesses across Lake and Osceola counties in return for a cut of the profits.

Law enforcement believes that the illegal gambling locations made $21.6 million in profit. Lopez allegedly received between $600,000 and $700,000 from the alleged ring leader of the operation, Krishna Deokaran. Authorities arrested him in June on various racketeering charges.

The five co-defendants in the case all accepted plea deals, including his estranged wife, who pleaded guilty in November to money laundering charges.

The latest hearing in the case on Dec. 2 didn’t shed any light on a trial date for the suspended sheriff. The next hearing is scheduled for Jan. 27.

With several illegal gambling operations now shut down and a high-profile corruption case unfolding, Florida authorities appear dead set on showing that enforcement efforts are far from over.

GAMBLING INSIDER

Georgia Judge Dismisses 2 Charges Against Trump, BUT RICO Charge and 7 Other Felony Charges Remain

 CLEARLY EXPLAINED....

Glenn Kirschner

814K subscribers

Judge Scott McAfee, the judge presiding over the massive Georgia state RICO prosecution of Donald Trump and his many co-conspirators/co-defendants, just dismissed two counts against Trump involving false documents (the fake elector certificates). However, the judge refused to throw out the lead RICO charge and the seven other felony charges on which Trump stands indicted. Moreover, Judge McAfee DID NOT rule that Trump did not commit the false documents crimes, but rather that the Supremecy Clause of the Constitution applies and the charges are more appropriately prosecuted as federal crimes than state crimes. If you're interested in supporting our all-volunteer efforts and mission, you can becoming a Team Justice patron at:   / glennkirschner   And you can find my audio podcast, Justice Matters, wherever you usually get your podcasts. And my website at glennkirschner.com Follow me on: Threads: https://www.threads.net/glennkirschner2 Twitter:   / glennkirschner2   Facebook:   / glennkirschner2  

 

Former Ohio utility regulator, charged in sweeping bribery scheme, has died by suicide

Story by JULIE CARR SMYTH and SAMANTHA HENDRICKSON, Associated Press/Report for America

Former Ohio utility regulator, charged in sweeping bribery scheme, has died by suicide© Provided by WKRC Cincinnati

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - A former top utility regulator awaiting trial on charges he took millions in bribes in conjunction with the largest corruption scandal in Ohio's history died by suicide on Tuesday, a spokesperson for the Franklin County Coroner's Office said.

Sam Randazzo, 74, the one-time chair of the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio, faced the prospect of spending the rest of his life in prison if convicted of the dozens of criminal charges he faced in simultaneous federal and state investigations. He had pleaded not guilty to all of them, most notably the allegation that he accepted a $4.3 million bribe from Akron-based FirstEnergy Corp. in exchange for regulatory favors.

A spokesperson for the county coroner's office said Randazzo was found unresponsive at a building he owned in Columbus at just before noon.

The U.S. Attorney's Office, Ohio Attorney General's Office and office of Republican Gov. Mike DeWine, who initially appointed Randazzo to the PUCO, all declined immediate comment.

FirstEnergy has admitted to using dark money groups to fund a $60 million bribery plot that allowed former Republican Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder to win the speakership, elect his allies and pass and defend a $1 billion nuclear bailout bill, known as House Bill 6, for two of its affiliated nuclear plants.

A jury convicted Householder and lobbyist Matt Borges last year on federal racketeering charges for their roles in the scheme. Householder was sentenced to 20 years in prison, Borges to five. Both have appealed.

Randazzo resigned his regulatory post in November 2020 after FBI agents searched his Columbus townhome and FirstEnergy revealed in security filings what it said were bribery payments of $4.3 million for his future help at the commission a month before DeWine nominated him as Ohio's top utility regulator.

He is the second person that was accused as part of the sweeping investigation to take his own life. Long-time Statehouse lobbyist Neil Clark, one of the five people initially arrested in the probe in July 2020, died by suicide in March 2021 after pleading not guilty. The remaining two men, Juan Cespedes and Jeffrey Longstreth, pleaded guilty and are cooperating with the government in the ongoing inquiry.

OHIO RACKETEERING SCANDAL

Fani Willis had a make-or-break day—and Aaron Rodgers has some thoughts on...buildings

 

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March 15, 2024 Let's start with the biggest news of the day. Fani Willis, the Fulton County district attorney who came under intense scrutiny, as well as racist and sexist attacks, over her romantic relationship with a top deputy, can continue to oversee the Georgia criminal prosecution of Donald Trump—as long as the former romantic partner steps aside. My colleague Pema Levy reports on Judge Scott McAfee's ruling today, which rejected allegations that the affair created "an actual conflict of interest" to support calls for Willis' removal. (McAfee said the relationship did establish an "appearance of impropriety.") Willis has yet to comment on the decision but it seems likely she'll accept the terms; stepping down herself would essentially kill the case against Trump. What exactly is the case, again? I don't blame you if you need a refresher. Here's Pema with the key context: Willis had spent three years building her case against Trump. It began shortly after Trump’s infamous phone call to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger in January 2021, in which Trump demanded that Raffensperger find the votes Trump needed to eek out a win in the state. A special grand jury heard testimony for six months before recommending indictments. Willis then brought the case to a different grand jury that, last August, handed up a massive racketeering indictment against Trump and 18 co-defendants. Four have since pleaded guilty.  Ah, right! This is the case with all the mug shots. Gotcha.  Moving on, my colleague Tim Murphy has a must-read post on one of the few athletes I know by name: Aaron Rodgers. He, of Shailene Woodley romantic partner fame, was in the news this week for two reasons. First, Rodgers is reportedly being considered for the role of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s running mate. CNN also reported on his alleged history of telling people that the 2012 Sandy Hook mass shooting was staged. These are two repulsive reasons to be in the headlines. But Tim reports on the little-noticed theory Rodgers pushed this week while attempting to clean up those Sandy Hook allegations. Enjoy. —Inae Oh

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Fani Willis Can Remain in Charge of Trump Prosecution in Georgia A judge rejected the effort to disqualify the Fulton County DA—so long as prosecutor Nathan Wade steps down. BY PEMA LEVY

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Justice Ginsburg's family decries bestowing RBG award on Elon Musk and Rupert Murdoch BY DAVID CORN AND ALI BRELAND The Crumbleys have been convicted. Black parents will likely pay a price, too. BY NIA T. EVANS It’s not just Sandy Hook. Aaron Rodgers has some very strange thoughts about...buildings. BY TIM MURPHY New EPA rule cracks down on toxic chemical that sterilizes medical equipment BY LYLLA YOUNES excerpt:  Ethylene oxide emissions from the warehouses where medical equipment is stored after sterilization are a growing concern. After fumigation, these items can carry traces of the chemical that evaporate for days or weeks afterward. Officials in Georgia’s Environmental Protection Division found that this off-gassing can create substantial concentrations of the chemical in the air, and a recent Grist investigation revealed that dozens of workers at one warehouse in Lithia Springs experienced nausea, headaches, rashes, and seizures after being exposed to these fumes on the job. The EPA’s new regulations do not cover such emissions, an omission Brown called “unfortunate.”  “There’s still a lot more work to be done,” he said of the new rule. “But this is a good step in terms of stricter emission controls and new emission controls that did not exist before.”

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"They would throw me into a cage and treat me like an animal." What Alaska foster kids were up against inside Universal Health Services facilities. AS TOLD TO JULIA LURIE

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