At a press conference in Springfield Wednesday, Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway announced that her office has filed charges against Briarwood One Stop in Brookline and its managing officer, Himanshu Patel. The charges include two felony counts of first-degree promoting gambling as well as a civil action for housing 12 illegal slot machines and providing public access to unlicensed and unregulated games. Hanaway said that’s a violation of the Missouri Merchandising Practices Act and the state’s nuisance laws.
Hanaway reiterated that her office is “committed to dismantling illegal gaming operations, ensuring they have no place in our communities.”
The charges follow an investigation by Hanaway’s office and the Missouri State Highway Patrol Division of Drug and Crime Control in collaboration with the Greene County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.
In addition to seeking criminal punishment, the AG’s office is seeking a permanent injunction prohibiting the business from providing gambling services.
The office said the criminal charges against Patel are merely allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
Greene County Prosecuting Attorney Dan Patterson said Hanaway’s statewide initiative “is exactly the kind of coordinated effort needed to tackle illegal gambling devices at scale.”
You can read the civil petition here.