Sarasota Sheriff: 2 charged, 117 slot machines seized in gambling bust

Two men have been charged in connection with an illegal gambling operation in Sarasota County. The pair, officials say, were also found to have been in the U.S. illegally on revoked visas.

Mevin Rodrigues, 28, and Dylan Cardoso, 30, were arrested Sept. 2 at Magic Arcade at 5624 Swift Road as the result of a months-long investigation into several illegal gambling operations, according to the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office.

Rodrigues was charged with possessing a slot machine and keeping a gambling house, according to online court records. His arraignment is scheduled for Sept. 29. The probable cause affidavit for Rodrigues’ arrest was not available.

Cardoso was charged with being an employee of a gambling house and possessing a slot machine, according to online court records. He is to be arraigned Oct. 3.

According to the probable cause affidavit for his arrest, Cardoso was a clerk at Magic Arcade, where an undercover detective put $100 into a slot machine on Aug. 19 and won $219 through multiple plays. Cardoso provided $219 in cash to the detective based on a voucher that was printed out from the slot machine, and the money was placed into evidence, the affidavit says.

When officials served a search warrant at Magic Arcade on Sept. 2, they said Cardoso was hiding in a locked closet, and detectives had to use tools to break it open, according to the affidavit. He was found with "multiple sets of securitytube key, commonly found in illegal slot machine casinos" in addition to a key that controlled the diagnostics for the slot machines, the affidavit says.

During the investigation, Florida Gaming Control Commission agents seized money as well as 117 slot machines from Magic Arcade, according to a spokesperson for the sheriff’s office.

“We continue to partner with the Florida Gaming Control Commission with the goal of ridding our community of these gambling businesses,” Sarasota County Sheriff Kurt A. Hoffman says in a statement. “Our citizens’ complaints have been heard, and we are successfully shutting them down.”

Both Rodrigues and Cardoso are currently detained at the Sarasota County Correctional Facility, according to the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office, which reports it is collaborating with Homeland Security Investigations for illegal immigration enforcement.

“Not only were these arrestees breaking our state gambling laws, but they have also broken our immigration laws,” Hoffman says, “and through our partnership with ICE, they will be held accountable.”

This article originally appeared on sister site BusinessObserverFL.com.