4 charged with money laundering for illegal video gaming in Springfield

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Four men were each given a $20,000 bond after being charged with money laundering related to illegal video gaming.

Kristopher Deitz, 33, of Stathan, Georgia; Scott Gregory, 36, of Brunswick, Georgia; Suresh Patel, 47, of Taylor, Michigan; and Yashvantkumar Patel, 47, of Lowndesboro, Alabama, all were charged with money laundering and enforcement of chapter 3772.99 of the Ohio Revised Code, which relates to casino gaming, according to court records.

The four men were arraigned Thursday in Clark County Municipal Court, where bond was set. Suresh Patel and Yashvantkumar Patel remain in the Clark County Jail as of Thursday night.

The arrests followed a joint investigation of the Clark County Sheriff’s Office and Ohio Investigative Unit that began in July at various locations in Springfield and unincorporated areas of Clark County, according to a release from the Clark County Sheriff’s Office.

“Following an in-depth surveillance operation, search warrants were executed on five locations within Clark County and Springfield on Oct. 20 and 21, resulting in the confiscation of over 100 slot and gaming machines, plus online game computers, financial records and significant amounts of cash, detailing a substantial period and quantity of illegal activity,” the release stated.

Two of the search warrants executed Wednesday were at Roc-In Skilled Games, 1214 N. Bechtle Ave., and Lucky Duck Skills Games, 1942 Mitchell Blvd., according to an affidavit filed in the case.

Detectives found owners Suresh Patel and Yashvantkumar Patel and gaming distributors Deitz and Gregory with management. They all had keys to gaming consoles and large sums of money.

The men were arrested and charged with money laundering and enforcement of chapter.

The Patels operated a gambling establishment and admitted to not paying cash or placing money with distributors, according to the affidavit. Deitz and Gregory profited off the two illegal gambling facilities in Springfield that were not commissioned through Ohio and distributed illegal gambling machines to Roc-In Skilled Games.

During questioning, Yashvantkumar Patel also admitted to sourcing his income from several illegal gaming facilities throughout Ohio.

Additional details surrounding the cases, including next court dates, are not available at this time.