Illegal Gambling Charges Filed in Raid on Minnick's Bar
Four people have been charged with operating electronic gaming devices seized in a raid on a tavern co-owned by state Del. Joseph "Sonny" Minnick.
Baltimore County police announced Thursday afternoon that criminal charges have been filed against four people accused of operating illegal slot machines at a Dundalk tavern co-owned by a state delegate.
Maryland Del. Joseph "Sonny" Minnick, 78, and his wife Barbara Jean Minnick are listed as co-owners of Minnick’s bar on Sollers Point Road along with Daniel Minnick, the delegate’s brother, according to county liquor license records.
The state delegate and his wife were not charged following an investigation that included a June 29 raid on the tavern in which officers seized five video game devices.
Daniel Minnick, 85, whose name is listed on the permit application for a "coin operated amusement device license application," was one of the four defendants charged, according to a Baltimore County Police Department press release.
The other defendants charged include an employee and two customers of the tavern. They are: Diana Mills Anthony, Richard George Bell and John Edward Wiessner Jr.
Detectives observed these three individuals either playing the games, maintaining the machines or making payouts during the investigation, police said.
According to Baltimore County Liquor Board documents reviewed by Patch Wednesday afternoon, the investigation started with a complaint from an anonymous caller that Minnick’s bar “is paying off on machines and have been for years.”
Daniel Minnick, of the 7100 block of Sollers Point Road in Dundalk, has been charged with four counts of possession and maintenance of slot machines, illegal betting and permitting illegal gambling, according to online records.
Diana Mills Anthony, 58, of the 7400 block of Saint Patricia Court in Dundalk, has been charged with possession and maintenance of a slot machine.
Richard George Bell, 66, of the unit block of Kinship Road, has been charged with illegal betting and possession and maintenance of a slot machine.
John Edward Wiessner, 60, of the 6400 block of Bushey St. in Baltimore, has been charged with possession and maintenance of a slot machine.
Trial dates have been set for Sept. 27.
Baltimore County police said the case is being referred to the Baltimore County State's Attorney's Office and would not comment further.
A press from Scott D. Shellenberger, the State's Attorney for Baltimore County said his office is referring the prosecution and charging decisions in the case "to an outside State's Attorney's office who has no connection to Baltimore County government.
Stay tuned to Patch for further updates.
Joan Wood
2:56 pm on Thursday, July 14, 2011
Just goes to show you.......don't mess with O"Malley and Kevin K...........
Barbara Bowling
2:46 pm on Friday, July 15, 2011
Exactly my thoughts on the matter, I don't use those machines, but why do the powers that be pretend to me so morally against gambling when they just did the thing at Arundel mIlls and elsewhere to bring more gambling to this state along with the lottery, why not just legalize those machines and collect more revenue? Maybe they will after they have smeared the names of as many of their enemies as they can get away with................
mcgillicuddy
3:21 pm on Thursday, July 14, 2011
I don't personally know Delegate Minnick and the others, but it seems the owners of the business should be the ones charged with possessing and maintaining the machines. It seems I read a quote by the delegate that "some bars would go under without income from the machines" which indicates to me that he is aware they are illegal, but condones them because bar owners need the money.
amdactivist
3:31 pm on Thursday, July 14, 2011
when did it become illegal to play them. The state gives them an amusement permit/ license then busts them for playing them?
Roxane
5:04 pm on Thursday, July 14, 2011
amdactivist, I was wondering the same thing. How does playing a machine translate into the charge of "possession and maintenance of a slot machine"? This stinks of politics from Annapolis.
Kathi Albanese
4:03 pm on Thursday, July 14, 2011
The Minnick brothers have been upstanding citizens in the Dundalk community for many,many, years.Although "pay offs" are illegal,how about a slap on the wrist?? The real criminals at least get that!!!
Roxane
6:09 pm on Thursday, July 14, 2011
You're right Kathi. What a waste of time and money. This is what happens when you disagree with you-know-who....
Eastsider
6:25 pm on Thursday, July 14, 2011
Roxane & Kathi
The law is the law doesn’t matter if you’re a politician, an outstanding citizen or a bum hanging in Veterans Park you do something wrong and get caught then you pay the price.
Barbara Bowling
2:48 pm on Friday, July 15, 2011
Especiallly if you vote for Bartenfelder when Mr. K wanted the job.
mcgillicuddy
11:25 pm on Thursday, July 14, 2011
Hey Buzz, Patch must not have liked your comment. It's been fifteen minutes since I received the email update containing your comment and I don't see it here.
Buzz Beeler
11:46 pm on Thursday, July 14, 2011
What I find interesting is that I get a call from the Sun and they want to know if the police response was normal or possibly was their another reason.
My response was no it's not normal. My opinion was this whole issues was politically motivated. Drug operations don't even get that response. Retired cops can't get that response. Just anonymous complaints?
By the way, the complaint came from Michael Mohler's office. You can fill in the blanks or connect the dots.
They asked me if they could use my quote and I said yes. You will notice in the Sun's account numerous issues and quotes about the Minnick's and others but nothing as to the motive of raid. Anonymous just doesn't cut it, at least not in this county.
My point is that the Sun reveals it's bias and will not criticize the Kamenetz administration regardless of the possibility of back door politics.
Behind every reaction there is an action and it is obvious to those of us in Dundalk this was back door dirty politics at it's worst.
Eastsider what you say is true if those involved are playing by the rules on a level playing field.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-county/bs-md-co-minnick-charges-20110714,0,6323575.story
Robert Armstrong
11:55 pm on Thursday, July 14, 2011
More conspiracy theories. The Sun called you and you claim they are "biased"???
Tinfoil Hat Time.
David Hyland
2:57 am on Friday, July 15, 2011
Wow, the Illegals standing outside home depot don't get this kind of attention, it's funny how Government picks and chooses which laws to observe. If the bar were owned by someone names "Jones" it would be a dead issue. The Sun has a great place in the cat's litter box. "It's biased"....... an understatement!
John K
6:34 am on Friday, July 15, 2011
He's a scumbag for having them and paying out, even more so because he is a public official. Who cares if it's politics. These bar owners have been paying out for years. Seidel Bowling Lanes did it, my buddy got paid out at Tullys all the time, and I know of many other places that have/do pay out illegally. I think it should all be legal, but that doesn't mean they get a pass because it's not. The delegate knew what was going on there, and his public trust makes him even more culpable.
Roxane
9:51 am on Friday, July 15, 2011
If you're so bothered by it, why don't you turn everyone in? It seems you like to point the finger...
Karebear
9:29 am on Friday, July 15, 2011
Are there not more pressing issues law enforcement could be utilizing their manpower to remedy? How about all of the car break-ins that happen over and over again or the in BROAD DAYLIGHT drug deal?
George Krach
10:49 am on Friday, July 15, 2011
George K
Just another sign of the times in a one party state, whether they're elitists like O'Malley or part of the good old boy's club like Sonny and his brother. They think their above the everyday hard working citizen and the law. Maybe it's time for the citizens of our community to clean house in the next election.
Roxane
11:30 am on Friday, July 15, 2011
Clean house in Maryland? That will be the day. This one horse town will always remain the same. Remember Erhlich? Sadly, that change didn't last too long.
Barbara Bowling
2:52 pm on Friday, July 15, 2011
I remember Erhlich! I remember him as the one who was not brave enough make the politically unpoplular moves that needed to be made to balance the budget, knowing he was a loser, he left it up to the next Governor to take the heat....Yeah, I remember him and he didn't even call me to advise me to stay home during the election either.
Buzz Beeler
3:23 pm on Friday, July 15, 2011
David, good call. As Dirty Harry would say, "you gotta ask your self a question?
My question to Chief Johnson, Mike Mohler and Mr. Kamenetz is you have a homicide at a Rosedale bar, and when the police show up to investigate the unruly crowd turns on them, sending an officer to the hospital and ...???
Where are the undercover detectives on that issue? I would guess without looking that is not the first complaint on that bar.
You see I don't really trust Mr. Mohler, ever since that day at a town hall meeting I asked you a direct question on the amount of money the county spends on illegals and you looked right at me and said "the county does not spend money on illegals."
That is why we have three branches of government to keep the playing field level.
By the way, how many other raids in the police files were a result of someone drooping a dime, or quarter these days? I would love to those records.
As for Arthur, you haven't changed much since the last time we talked.