Police, FBI raid 2 Central Kentucky businesses accused of running gambling operations
Four people have been charged after police and federal agents raided Central Kentucky businesses and found makeshift back-room casinos.
Nicholasville officers and the FBI executed search warrants on two Nicholasville businesses Monday and found 22 gambling machines plus $10,000 in cash, police announced Wednesday. The locations included Blair’s Auto and a Valero gas station. All four arrests were made at 1000 South Main Street, which is the location of a Valero gas station, according to arrest records.
All four suspects were charged with conspiracy to promote gambling, according to court records. Sheila Johns, 64, Terese Burdine, 63, Carolyn Jasper-Ramsey, 59, and Barron Henderson, 57, were detained by police. Henderson is a South Carolina resident. The other defendants are Nicholasville residents.
“Illegal gambling machines such as these are designed for the person not to win,” police said in a social media post. “They usually pay out small amounts in an effort to have you continue to return and play the games. The serious effects of gambling include loss of jobs, depression and anxiety as well as severe debt. All of these things combined have a physical and mental effect on families.”
Additional charges may be filed against other individuals as the investigation continues, police said.
Johns was set to be arraigned June 16 in Jessamine County misdemeanor court, according to court records. The others, who were facing felony charges, didn’t yet have initial court appearances scheduled.
This story was originally published May 20, 2021 at 7:17 AM.