Macon store owners arrested for illegal gambling

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Three Macon store owners are behind bars for illegal activity in their stores.

“It’s illegal to use these machines to conduct a gambling enterprise,” Macon Judicial Circuit District Attorney David Cooke says.

“The Georgia Bureau of Investigation, along with the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office and the Georgia Department of Revenue, in cooperation with the Georgia Lottery Cooperation executed five search warrants in Bibb County for the violation of Georgia’s commercial gambling laws, racketeering, money laundering, and related offenses,” Cooke continues.

Shell Food Mart located at 2700 Riverside Drive, Poplar Mart located at 565 Poplar street and Lizella Supermarket located at 3309 Holley Road and a residence in Macon were all closed down for business.

A multi-agency investigation over several months led to the search warrants, which revealed customers were receiving cash payouts for winning credits.

“The owners are lawfully allowed to let a person win a small amount of store credit which can be redeemed from merchandise. What they’re not allowed to do is pay out in cash,” Cooke adds.

The GBI arrested Ms.soon Cha, owner of Lizella Supermarket and Shell Food Mart on two counts of commercial gambling, racketeering and evading currency transaction report requirements. Customers gambled approximately $25,000,000, about $700,000 per month over a three year period. In addition, the businesses failed to pay in excess of $1 million dollars owed to the state and local governments, and filed fraudulent returns.

Mr.Hung Park and Ms.Myoung Park, owners of Poplar Mart in downtown Macon were also arrested for commercial gambling. Customers gambled over $53,000 per month during the 23 month period between July 1, 2015 to May 2017. Customers winnings totaled over $900,000. In addition, the businesses failed to pay in excess of $100,000 in taxes and filed fraudulent reports to the state.

Cooke added, “There’s a legal way to do this and an illegal way to do this and the Georgia Lottery Corporation allows store owners to conduct this, to use these machines in a very specific way in accordance with the regulations in the law.”

In Georgia, credits may only be redeemed for lottery tickets and/or store merchandise.