The owner of a Boynton Beach, Fla. arcade was accused of 32 counts of illegal possession of machines. The arrest came this week after a police inspection in June of the Crowne Arcade.
Antonio Magnone, 35, with a permanent address of Weirton, W.V., was arrested recently in Ohio. He was brought into Florida, after which he was kept for a few days in the Palm Beach County Jail before his appearance next week in the local court.
The bond was set at $15,000. The suspect is also accused of money laundering. Operating the premises of a casino as an employee or agent of a casino.
The arrest comes after an investigation that has lasted over a period of time. The investigation began in November at the time that Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office received a tip about illegal gambling occurring at the arcade, WPTV, the Florida television station, has said.
If a gambler placed a bet of $10, the arcade would put an additional $10 of the house’s money into the slot machine, authorities claimed. The players could win as high as $10,000 at an arcade WPTVsaid.
Two Others Charged
The most recent raid of the arcade occurred on June 6. It was a little over one year ago, and on the 18th of March 2021, the exact arcade was sacked by Broward County, Fla. detectives. The search resulted in being arrested a man who was identified as Magnone’s brother Vincenzo Magnone, 38.
The charges against him was the bookkeeping and running an establishment for gambling, according to the report. Vincenzo Magnone has pled guilty to the charges. Magnone was sentenced to five-year probation, according to BocaPost.com, a Florida online news website published.
Eight Gambling Raids
In a separate incident in December, deputies were able to search eight gaming facilities located
in the state of Florida’s Seminole County. The suspects included 18.
The charges include racketeering and maintaining a gaming house, as well as delivering gaming machines and operating the lottery illegally. The illegal activities were stopped.
Casinos were operating throughout Altamonte Springs, Sanford, and Casselberry, as well as in the unincorporated Seminole County. A lot of the casinos were located in strip plazas with no distinctive signs and were disguised under the guise of different businesses.
In one instance, the Den was concealed as a Pawn shop. Another was identified as a billiards hall.
Transfer of power and the sale of power in a short time
Following his arrest in the year 2000, the man, Vincenzo, was found guilty of charges relating to bookkeeping and operating a gambling establishment. The judge gave him five years of probation. Following the June raid, Margadonna told authorities how the transfer of power to the Crowne was completed.
After Vincenzo’s arrest, “he was able to keep at a distance from the arcade.” Then, Antonio took over the day-to-day operations of the arcade. Antonio was also believed to have maintained the same policies as Vincenzo and with the assistance of Margadonna until the moment that she was arrested.
A few days after the arrest of Margadonna, the police discovered the fact that Antonio, as well as Vincenzo, were the ones selling the Crowne Arcade for $450,000 to Anjaneya Investments Inc. The sale was made immediately following an affidavit from the Palm Beach Sheriff’s affidavit named Antonio as a suspect in the investigation. It also stated that there was “probable reason” for apprehension.
Antonio’s arrest warrant states that “Antonio was highly driven to sell the arcade in a short time, and the sale needed to be executed in a hurry.” It is reported that the Crowne was recently named”the “X Arcade,” and signs say that it’s under new management.
The affidavit of the sheriff indicates that the Magnones could have played a role in other shady operations throughout Florida. This information hasn’t, at this point, been a catalyst for any additional investigations. Vincenzo has a past history of gambling that is illegal. He was arrested in 2015 for illegal gambling. He was detained in Wheeling, WV, on allegations of operating a gambling establishment.
The risks of gambling on black markets
The questionable nature of these gambling venues underscores their risks of gambling on black markets. They can also be difficult to detect. The inadequate security systems fail to adequately safeguard their customers.
Gambling with more legal options at more convenient locations is the most efficient method to stop this.
In the near future, in 2024, the elections are the next chance for Floridians in the state to decide on expanding the legalization of gambling within the state.
