Gambling Task Force Raids Victoryland, Country Crossing
January 29th, 2010Bob Riley’s war on gambling reached a bizarre climax early this morning when the Alabama Governor’s anti-gambling task force dispatched more than 100 state troopers to raid computer gaming centers at the Victoryland Dogtrack in Shorter, Alabama, and Country Crossing in Dothan near the Florida state line.
According to early morning television news reports, the line of state troopers “was more than a mile long,” but they were stopped at the gates of the country music entertainment compound in Dothan when they failed to produce a search warrant.
Today’s raid is just the latest in the gambling wars in the state that made national news recently when Alabama’s godfather of legal gambling, Milton McGregor, was accused of crossing a legal line when he hired a private detective to follow former task force leader David Barber to an Indian casino in Mississippi, where Barber was spotted winning $2,300.
When that information was disclosed in the media, Barber resigned, so Riley named Mobile County District Attorney John Tyson Jr. to lead the task force.
What has not been widely reported by the mainstream media is that Riley has received as much as $13 million in campaign donations from Indian casinos in Mississippi, and that family members and former staff have gotten work through those casinos, which would obviously raise questions about a conflict of interest on Riley’s part.
As we reported the other day, Riley’s son-in-law Bob Campbell represents both the Indian casinos and the governor’s anti-gambling task force, which has already billed the state $1 million for that work. And his law firm, Bradley Arant, has billed the state more than $4 million since Riley took office, compared to just under $7,000 before Riley became governor
Some family members and former staff have been on the payroll of the Choctaw Indians in Mississippi.
WSFA 12 News out of Montgomery claims to be “the first crew on the scene.”
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Tags: Alabama Governor Bob Riley, Country Crossing, Gambling Task Force, Victoryland
January 29th, 2010 at 7:37 am
The very definition of an “ethics violation” in Alabama is using your office for personal financial gain, which includes family members. Has he been reported?
January 29th, 2010 at 8:13 am
Not that I know of, but then, you would know better than me. Does Alabama even have an Ethics Commission anymore? If so, you never hear a word out of them. Maybe it is made up of anti-government, do nothing Republicans, eh?
January 29th, 2010 at 10:37 am
In another TV news update, it is being reported that the state troopers left VictoryLand “empty-handed,” and the marketing director at the Birmingham Race Course said on the phone the machines at VictoryLand are legal. He called the raid a “bullying tactic” on Riley’s part to get back at McGregor for hiring the private investigator.
Now this is getting into potential allegations of a governor illegally using police resources for an illegal investigation. Perhaps the feds need to step in…
January 29th, 2010 at 10:47 am
This just in from the Dothan Eagle:
Attempted raid under way at Country Crossing
More than 30 Alabama State troopers left Country Crossing Friday morning, though as many as 40 or 50 troopers remain, after arriving around 4 a.m. Friday morning for an apparent raid of the electronic bingo pavilion.
Around 8 a.m. a line of about 30 trooper vehicles which were parked near the electronic bingo pavilion, pulled away from the development and headed north on Highway 231. Meanwhile, the remaining troopers have said they will stay on site awaiting further instructions.
Other than the troopers and the media, there are a handful of people on the site sitting in their cars. There are no protesters at the site.
Country Crossing spokesman Jay Walker said shortly after 9 a.m. Friday that nothing has changed since early Friday morning.
“I will add that it is a sad day in Alabama when the Governor can try to throw his will on anybody. There is due process in this state, and he took the Constitution of the State of Alabama, ripped it up, threw it in the trash can, and wrote his own,“ Walker said.
Attorney Will Somerville said Country Crossing stands ready to seek relief in federal court if the need arises.
Alabama state troopers arrived at Country Crossing before daylight Friday, setting the stage for an attempted raid. The troopers are standing at the bingo hall’s entrance, awaiting instruction in the early morning hours.
Country Crossing lawyers Will Matthews and Will Somerville have told state troopers they have no legal standing to be at Country Crossing and are asking them to leave.
Matthews referred to the troopers as “burglars,“ saying they were on private property without a search warrant or court order. Matthews said he counted 135 state vehicles.
State Trooper Maj. Mark McHenry said the troopers will stay until told otherwise by ‘a higher authority.‘
Country Crossing has asked all patrons to leave, and the doors were chained shut shortly before 2 a.m.
Country Crossing spokesman Doug Rainer said about 1 a.m. that Gov. Riley’s Task Force On Illegal Gambling would likely raid the facility this morning. The first of more than 100 government and trooper vehicles rolled into the complex at 4:07 a.m.
Since that time, the facility has been dark and there has been no movement. Agents remain in their cars in the parking lot for the most part and the power has been shut off at the main bingo and restaurant facility. Onlookers, or possibly employees of Country Crossing, had started to make their way to the facility by 6 a.m.
Similar raids were being conducted at facilities around the state, including the largest, VictoryLand in Shorter this morning, but a judge signed an order to block a search warrant signed against VictoryLand. VictoryLand has 6,400 electronic bingo machines. Country Crossing has 1,703.
January 29th, 2010 at 12:06 pm
This sounds like something that would happen in a Third World dictatorship, which, come to think of it, we may now qualify for here in the Heart of Dixie.
Unconstitutional, silly, repressive and comic opera a la Gilbert & Sullivan.
January 29th, 2010 at 12:54 pm
Agricultural Commissioner Ron Sparks issued this statement today regarding the early morning raids:
“This is an outrageous waste of limited state resources designed to kill thousands of jobs for working Alabamians,” Sparks said. “We need to use the state’s resources to protect our jobs and create new ones. This insanity needs to stop. Instead of spending money to take jobs away we need to tax gaming to educate our children. The state is broke and we are wasting money to kill jobs at a time of 11 percent unemployment. When I’m governor I will encourage, not discourage, job growth in Alabama and make sure our kids get the education and care they deserve.”
January 29th, 2010 at 1:02 pm
If state officials can seize bingo machines without a search warrant, they will be coming for our computers & cell phones next. This administration and the willingness of the Alabama Supreme Court to rubber stamp their agenda is truly frightening. Even when they get a search warrant, sometimes it’s issued by a magistrate with only a high school education and no formal legal training who is a member of the local “go along to get along club.” That really scares the hell out of me.
January 29th, 2010 at 1:33 pm
It seems our governor has come unhinged. Perhaps one or two of those state troopers might consider NOT following an unlawful order and take a funny farm van over to the governor’s office, along with a straight jacket.
Maybe two terms in charge has been too much for country Bob. Perhaps he needs a padded room in the old Brice hospital before they shut it down…
January 29th, 2010 at 4:48 pm
This just in from WSFA, including copies of letters from King and Riley:
AG King calls Riley a friend, but urges caution
Alabama Attorney General Troy King wasted no time responding to Governor Bob Riley’s attempted early morning raids on two large gaming centers.
The governor and attorney general have long held different opinions on electronic bingo and its legality.
King reminded Riley in the two page letter that, while he considered the governor a friend, the AG was very concerned about the escalating developments in Riley’s bingo raids.
“I write and, once again, advice caution in your approach,” King said, pointing out that the governor chose to raid Victoryland and Country Crossing after weeks of public feuds between his office and the centers’ operators.
The resignation of David Barber, the previous Task Force Commander, after his admission to winning $2,300 at a Mississippi casino and current Task Force Commander John Tyson’s gambling contributions have not helped matters.
“Now, apparently, you have sent hundreds of Alabama State Troopers, without a search warrant, onto private property at multiple locations,” King wrote.
King advised that such an action, which differs from other raids by the governor’s Task Force on Illegal Gambling where a warrant was filed, shifts the burden of providing probable cause to Riley’s office.
King added that he was “deeply concerned” that the governor’s actions would expose Alabama’s taxpayers as well as the Task Force Commander, the Director of Public Safety, the Director of the Alabama Beverage Control Board and even Governor Riley himself to liability.
“While your personal exposure is not my professional responsibility,” King said of Riley, “you do remain my friend. However, the protection of the state treasury is my responsibility.”
King ended his letter by advising the governor to “take the most civil and orderly way to proceed while respecting the legal process.” King said he believes the proper way to resolve the situation is to put it to a vote of the people.
“By taking either of these actions, you can still reassure our citizens of your commitment to the rule of law,” he explained.
January 29th, 2010 at 5:16 pm
Just pulled this off of Wikipedia after Googling Jack Abramoff and Bob Riley….
“In November 2005, Riley was linked to the Jack Abramoff scandal when his former Congressional press secretary, Michael Scanlon, pleaded guilty to conspiracy in the matter. It further emerged that, as a Congressman, Riley signed a letter on behalf of the U.S. Family Network, opposing expansion of casino gambling in Alabama.[21] The U.S. Family Network was revealed to be an Abramoff front, funded by the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, which operated competing casinos.[22] Riley has denied knowing the source of this funding.”
As always Riley came outta that one smellin like a rose, especially since I believe it was his buddy John McCain who chaired the Congressional committee investigating the Abramoff scandal and regularly visits Riley in Alabama, and his son Rob who was known to pick up a phone and call Karl Rove and personally ask for help keeping Don Siegelman in jail, etc. etc. etc. Kinda hard to beat that.
My question is why, after all this time, knowing that Riley is up to his ears in gambling money (among many other things), does anyone, media included, seem to care? About anything he’s done?? Riley should’ve been nailed a long time ago. Why wait until now? Is it simply because the leeches that have been on Riley’s payroll for 8 years are simply positioning themselves to sponge off the next administration?
I know personally of a close friend who was an executive director of a state office, directly under the governor’s office. After being pressured to use money donated to the state by private individuals for Katrina relief to hire one of Riley’s “cronies,” who by the way, had already been fired from the state for putting state money in his own pocket, she refused, and was forced to resign after being treatened. Her replacement, appointed by Riley, coincidentally drove a shiney new red Dodge Durango to commute to Montgomery from Birmingham, a vehicle which was donated by Chrysler to be sent to Mobile for use by Katrina relief workers. Unfortunately, that Durango never made it anywhere near the coast, just like a lot of money that never made it either.
I’m sure many out there know of similar circumstances, but my question again is, after all Riley has done to this state, after all this time, why now? Why is it that only now does anyone seem to care? Riley, and many in his family and adminstration, are simply criminals. Riley deserves to be in the same cell with Siegelman, I hope one day he will be.
January 29th, 2010 at 10:00 pm
Perhaps we should all visit the facilities and see for
ourselves.
Here is one review:
http://www.fosters.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20091226/GJLIFESTYLES/912229937/-1/FOSLIFESTYLES08