Rabbi Michael Sternfield had just started pushing buttons at an Indiana casino on a June day in 2011 when he watched the icons flash across the screen: ace, king, queen, jack and 10, all of the same suit.
Bells rang, lights flashed and casino staff descended upon the spiritual leader of one of Chicago's most prominent Reform synagogues to congratulate him on his video poker royal flush and $10,000 jackpot.
But the big payoff proved to be unlucky. Sternfield, who six years earlier had asked to be banished from the casino because of a longtime but secret gambling problem, was charged with trespassing and identity deception. He said the incident and his initial denial when leaders of Chicago Sinai Congregation asked about it led them to demand that he quietly resign last month rather than explain himself to his congregation.
"If I've learned anything from these years of struggling, I've learned how terribly painful addictions of all kinds are and how incredibly difficult many are to get rid of," Sternfield said in a recent interview with the Tribune. "This is a chapter of my life that I regret so very deeply and which is painful for those close to me."
Temple President Michael Mannis called Sternfield's departure a big loss for Chicago Sinai but otherwise declined to discuss what he called a confidential matter.
But Sternfield's abrupt exit after nearly two decades at Chicago Sinai, and an explanation in a letter that it was simply time to retire, left some in the congregation suspicious, particularly because it happened just a month before the busy Jewish season of repentance that includes Rosh Hashana and the just-ended Yom Kippur.
"No one retires right before the High Holy Days. I found that excuse absurd," said Rick Fizdale, 74, who has been part of the congregation for decades. "We feel slightly less of a gravitational pull toward the synagogue because he's not there."
For the first time in his 44 years as a rabbi, Sternfield said he spent the High Holy Days alone in his home, praying, reflecting and wondering what he will do next.
To better understand events that led to his gambling problem and departure from the pulpit at Chicago Sinai, it helps to revisit what happened after his exit from another. In spring 1993, Sternfield confessed to a brief affair with a younger rabbi while at a prominent synagogue in San Diego.
"I am here to confess to the worst sin I ever committed in my life," Sternfield told the congregation at a board meeting, according to a news story at the time in the Los Angeles Times. "This, for me, is Yom Kippur," the Jewish Day of Atonement.
With the congregation divided over whether it should fire him, Sternfield tendered his resignation, according to the Times. After an ethics investigation, the Central Conference of American Rabbis, which represents about 1,600 rabbis in North America, temporarily suspended him from working in the U.S.
"They did the responsible thing," Sternfield told the Tribune. "They wanted to make sure before I served another congregation I had worked through personal issues. … The best opportunity I had was to serve a foreign congregation."
Separated from his soon-to-be-ex-wife, he took a job in 1994 leading a synagogue in Durban, South Africa, on the brink of that nation's historic election of Nelson Mandela as president.
But the shame of what he had done, the exile from family and friends and the question of whether he would ever return to the U.S. left him feeling lonely and isolated, he said. In search of an escape, he wandered into a Durban casino and planted himself in front of a video poker machine. He developed a habit of returning a few times a week.
Later that year, Sternfield said he got a call from an old acquaintance who was then-Gov. Pete Wilson's chief of staff, offering him a political appointment. Sternfield returned to California as the chief deputy director of the state's conservation corps, an agency dedicated to developing youth skills and protecting the environment.
He also reconnected with a cantor named Deborah Bard, whom he had auditioned and hired at the San Diego temple. They fell in love and got married. By then the rabbinical suspension had been lifted and he had landed a position at Chicago Sinai, a bastion of American Reform Judaism since the mid-19th century.
He joined a long line of esteemed spiritual leaders there, including Rabbi Emil Hirsch, a towering figure in the Reform movement. Two prominent figures in Chicago history, Sears, Roebuck & Co. President Julius Rosenwald and former Illinois Gov. Henry Horner, sat in Sinai's pews.
Sternfield carried on the classical Reform tradition but also distinguished himself as an innovator, arriving shortly after the synagogue moved from the Hyde Park neighborhood to its current location, at Delaware Place and State Street, on the Near North Side.
He led the development of the Sinai edition of the Union Prayer Book, the standard Reform Jewish prayer book, which has been adopted by other Reform congregations. In addition, he became an outspoken supporter of and officiant for interfaith weddings. The congregation grew from 200 to 900 members under his leadership. Some members made a point of attending Friday night worship services just to hear what he had to say.
"He had a way of expressing, particularly in sermons, a very modern approach to day-to-day life," said Carolyn Neuman, 52, a member since 1998. At an interfaith service after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, "nothing put me at peace more than hearing Michael's words."
Showing posts with label Indiana. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Indiana. Show all posts
Thursday, May 14, 2015
Gambling addiction sends ex-police chief to prison
Gambling addiction sends ex-police chief to prison
GREENSBURG, Ind. — The former police chief of a southeastern Indiana city has been sentenced to two years in prison for stealing $75,000 in cash that officers seized during criminal investigations.
A Decatur County judge sentenced 49-year-old Stacey L. Chasteen on Tuesday to four years in prison, with two years suspended. She will serve two years on probation and must pay back the missing money.
The Greensburg Daily News reports Chasteen pleaded guilty in March to charges of theft and official misconduct.
She served as police chief of Greensburg, a city of about 12,000 residents, from February 2011 to November 2014. Chasteen admitted to stealing $75,000 in cash from the department's evidence room and using it to gamble.
She testified she developed a gambling addiction as her marriage crumbled.
Monday, May 11, 2015
Indiana riverboat casinos now allowed to build on land
Riverboat Casinos were sold to the public as a way to ensure that tourists gambled.
There's always an argument for expansion.
VIDEO ON LINK
Indiana riverboat casinos now allowed to build on land
Posted: May 09, 2015 9:32 PM EDTHARRISON COUNTY, Ind. (WDRB) – Indiana's riverboat casinos will now be allowed to build new facilities on land.
"I think it goes to the issue of sustainability," said Indiana State Representative Ed Clere.
Clere said he opposed the legislation in its initial stages, but was unable to vote on the final bill.
The bill, which Governor Mike Pence said he would allow to become a law on Friday, allows for casinos to move inland on pieces of land that are already owned by the casino. However, some legislators like Clere say it's not enough to stem the tide of competition from neighboring states.
“I want them to be here and to be successful and provide the revenues we've come to depend at both state and local communities,” Clere said.
The bill also allows for horse track casinos which are currently in Anderson and Shelbyville to use live dealers for table games.
Proponents on the recent legislation say moving casinos inland could help combat the expanded competition.
But others are worried about the continued pressure and the possibility of much more, especially for Horseshoe.
“We're facing increased competition from states all around us with the exception of Kentucky,” Clere said. “And I think we have to consider the chance that Kentucky could have casino gambling in the not too distant future.”
Clere says if that happens, casinos like Horseshoe may have a problem, whether it moves inland or not.
“It's not Horseshoe's fault, its not Harrison County's fault,” Clere said.
Earlier versions of the legislation would have allowed the horse track casinos in Anderson and Shelbyville to add live dealers for table games such as blackjack, but that provision was dropped after legislative leaders said Pence objected. The new law will allow those casinos to seek permission for live dealers in 2021.
http://www.wdrb.com/story/29023572/indiana-riverboat-casinos-now-allowed-to-build-on-land
Tuesday, April 21, 2015
Gambling Addict Embezzles from Community
VIDEO ON LINK
Judge sentences Wooley to 34 months: 'You never tried to overcome this addiction'
POSTED: 05:52 AM EDT Apr 20, 2015
A Berrien County circuit court judge sentenced a former Berrien County commissioner to 34 months in prison on embezzlement charges Monday.
Robert Wooley pled guilty to taking more than $317,000 from the North Berrien Senior Center, where he served as director. He also admitted to taking thousands more from the local fire department, for which he was treasurer.
The 34-month sentence is for his 2014 charge involving the Senior Center; he will pay $317,129.83 in restitution. Wooley was also sentenced to 120 days in the Berrien County jail for the 2015 attempted embezzlement charge involving the local fire department. That restitution will be decided at a later hearing. Both sentences are to be served concurrently, at the same time.
Wooley says he forged checks to line his own pockets. He apologized in court, pleading for a short sentence, saying he'll work to pay back the money he took.
"I don't have a lot of good working years in me, probably," Wooley told Judge Sterling Schrock.
Wooley's lawyer Andrew Burch also asked the judge for leniency, saying Wooley's crime a "significant human failing with good intent." Wooley had good intentions to win back the money for the center, Burch said.
Burch added Wooley is in a "tragic" situation, and that he is a victim himself in this case because he suffers from a gambling addiction.
But Donna Sieber, a member of the Senior Center board for 15 years, told the judge the real victims are the local senior citizens: "Sly, cunning, sneaky Mr. Wooley kept on playing his game," Sieber said in court.
Sieber said she even remembers discussing an embezzlement incident involving another person in another town. At the time, Wooley agreed that the person needed to be punished. The board later learned Wooley was embezzling money at the time of that discussion.
"I cried, I was hurt," Sieber said. "I couldn't believe it. And I didn't know how much it was."
Wooley also pleaded guilty to violating the terms of his bond Monday. He admitted to the judge he had left state boundaries to gamble at Blue Chip Casino in Michigan City on at least four separate occasions: Feb. 2, March 5, 12 and 19.
These visits all happened after Wooley pled guilty to embezzling and was out on bond, says Jennifer Smith, chief assistant prosecutor for Berrien County.
"It kind of showed, perhaps to some people, a lack of remorse for what he had done," Smith said, "and perhaps to some people the severity of his addiction."
Sieber falls more into the first category and is pleased Wooley will serve time in prison.
"I'm glad Judge Schrock gave him some time and behind bars, so he can think about all the nasty things he's done to everybody, and how many people he hurt," Sieber said.
Judge Schrock also recommended that Wooley get treatment for his gambling addiction while in prison.
Wooley has 42 days to file an appeal. His lawyer tells WSBT 22 they have not discussed appealing.
http://www.wsbt.com/news/local/former-berrien-county-commissioner-to-learn-punishment-for-embezzlement/32459246
Saturday, March 14, 2015
Potential casino coming to South Bend
Potential casino coming to South Bend
Posted: Mar 13, 2015More slot machines and table games could be coming to Michiana if plans are approved to build a casino in South Bend.
The Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians got a response from the Federal Government on Thursday after a proposal they submitted two years ago.
They are seeking Trust Land to create a Tribal Village but now that they have a response, they are in the first step of a very lengthy process.
If they are able to get that Trust Land approved, it will be their decision in how they want to use it.
The Pokagon Band released a statement that said in part: "The Pokagon Band is seeking Trust Land to create a Tribal Village with the necessary infrastructure and services to support its citizens, including affordable housing, government and administrative offices, a community center, and health services. To fund this infrastructure and services, the Pokagon Band will also build a Four Winds Casino on the South Bend site, which will create jobs and provide continued economic support to the Pokagon Band and surrounding communities."
The Pokagon Band will use the Four Winds Casino to help sustain its community but some people are opposed to building a casino in South Bend.
According to Jake Teshka who is involved with the grassroots organization Citizens for a Better Michiana, he has seen studies based in cities where casinos are built.
“In areas where casinos are, crime can spike, violent crimes can spike as much as ten percent,” said Teshka.
He also thinks that small businesses could suffer as a result of the casino.
“By building a casino what we're doing is cutting off any future possibility of having major consumers in small business," Teshka added.
However, the Four Winds Casino in New Buffalo was built in 2007 and according to New Buffalo Township Supervisor Rose Dudiak it has been a success.
“This casino has been a win-win situation for us. The things we've been able to do in the township have been incredible. We would not be able to do them without the casino,” Dudiak said.
She also said the casino has brought in enough money that the New Buffalo Township Hall will soon go through a two million dollar renovation.
If the casino is built, it has the potential of bringing in about 2,000 permanent jobs and about 1,500 temporary construction jobs.
That is something South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg thinks will be good for the city.
“We got to work with them, figure out exactly what the plans are and how the city fits in but as long as this happens in the context of an overall agreement that benefits the city, benefits the community, then I think it could be a very positive thing for South Bend,” said Mayor Buttigieg.
The location of this land is near the U.S. 20 Bypass and covers 166 acres.
http://www.abc57.com/story/28491607/potential-casino-coming-to-south-bend
Thursday, February 19, 2015
...262 cases of children left in cars at casinos....
There are children being left at home, left at malls....Gambling Addiction destroys reasonable behavior.
I-Team: Children left alone in cars at Tri-State casinos a growing problem
Jason Law, Maxim Alter 5:15 PM, Feb 19, 2015
CINCINNATI – On a cold morning last month, police said Dontae Smith parked his car in Horseshoe Casino Cincinnati’s outdoor garage and walked inside.
His 6-year-old son didn’t go with him.
Instead, police said Smith locked the boy alone in his car with the engine and heat running for nearly an hour so he could play blackjack.
The wind chill that morning on Jan. 8 was 12 degrees below zero, according to the National Weather Service.
The 34-year-old was arrested that same day and charged with child endangerment.
Smith’s case is not only part of a growing problem nationwide – it has become a stain on the Tri-State casino industry.
There were 262 cases of children left in cars at casinos in the United States in the last 20 years, according to data from KidsAndCars.org. Forty of those cases involved casinos in Ohio and Indiana.
There were also more reports of children left alone in cars at casinos between 2010 and 2014 than any other five-year span.
The problem is so bad, the American Gaming Association (AGA) announced in August it is working with KidsAndCars.org to raise awareness and strengthen the industry’s security practices.
The AGA includes members from Horseshoe Casino Cincinnati owner Caesars Entertainment and Hollywood Casino Lawrenceburg owner Penn National Gaming.
KidsandCars.org President Janette Fennell said the stats, while already alarming, could actually be higher.
She said many cases of children left alone at casinos are not reported.
“It’s very underreported,” Fennell said. “People are doing this and a lot of this has to do with gambling addiction.”
It is illegal for anyone under 21 years of age to enter a casino in Indiana and Ohio without an adult – and that minor is only allowed in designated areas of the casino where there is no gambling. Breaking this law is a felony.
There are only 19 states in the U.S. with laws that specifically make it illegal to leave a child unattended in a vehicle. Ohio and Indiana are not one of those 19.
But cars are not the only place children are being left while their parents gamble.
The I-Team discovered six cases of parents leaving children alone at restaurants like Starbucks and Bobby's Burger Place inside Horseshoe Casino Cincinnati since it opened in 2013. These parents were given warnings and asked to leave the property.
On March 11, 2013, a 38-year-old mother allowed her three 12-year-old girls to “walk around” the casino alone, according to records. The mother was warned and not charged.
Two days later, a 33-year-old mother left her “young boy” leaning against a wall while she and two friends played with slot machines, records state. The mother was also not charged.
Cincinnati police said a 28-year-old man brought his 16 and 17-year-old cousins into the casino in April of 2013. They said the teens illegally played slots while the 28-year-old played blackjack. The case was forwarded to the county juvenile prosecutor's office for consideration.
In July of 2014, a 5-year-old and 7-year-old were left alone in Horseshoe’s parking garage after their mother went inside the casino to retrieve their grandmother. The woman was warned and not charged.
Dr. Ronald Sachs, an addiction therapist with more than 30 years of experience, said he attributes this behavior in part to gambling addiction.
“It indicates there’s a loss of control – that somebody intends to do something for a short period of time and they lose track of it that,” he said. “Is it causing financial problems? Is it causing legal problems? Yes. Is it causing family problems? Those are the areas you look at.”
Sachs said there is no medication to treat gambling addiction like there is to treat opiate or other drug addictions.
The only way to break free of a gambling addiction is with a 12-step program or similar treatment, he said.
“A lot of people don’t believe (addiction) is an illness. They say it’s just a bad choice. It’s bad morals,” he said. “Addiction is much deeper than that. It gets in and it sinks these hooks into you.”
Mike, a member of the international organization Gamblers Anonymous who asked not to be identified by his full name, said he was disappointed by the limited amount of places locally for gambling addicts to seek treatment.
A Google search found only eight places near Cincinnati and Lawrenceburg that help gamblers overcome addiction. Alcoholics Anonymous, however, has hundreds of local meetings throughout the week.
Gamblers Anonymous is a 12-step program and support network set up to assist people who have a gambling problem. To find Gamblers Anonymous meetings near you, click here.
You can also call the National Council on Problem Gambling Helpline at 1-800-522-4700. They offer free, confidential help for problem gamblers and their family members.
- See more at: http://www.wcpo.com/news/local-news/i-team/i-team-children-left-alone-in-cars-at-tri-state-casinos-a-growing-problem#sthash.zOgoaKaX.dpuf
Monday, October 6, 2014
Bailing Out Casinos
Gambling fight set to test governor’s power
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Republican Gov. Mike Pence does not often take hard stances when it comes to items facing the Indiana General Assembly, but one issue he has been firm on since taking office is his opposition to expanded gambling.
That position could put him at odds with Republican lawmakers willing to hear out Indiana’s struggling gaming industry, which — hobbled by the recession and new competition just across state lines — is preparing to make a major push for expansion when lawmakers convene in January.
The state’s casinos would like to move their operations on land, while the two “racinos” — racetracks with slots — would like to add live table games.
The issue has not always been a marquee one inside the Statehouse of late, either taking a backseat to proposals like tax cuts in 2013 or being punted during this past session.
But questions are already bubbling up for Pence, and whether he would consider measures to save the ailing industry — and the money it provides for the state coffers.
Southwest Indiana leaders, looking to support the Tropicana Casino, attempted to pin the governor down on the issue this past summer during one of his stops in Evansville.
“It is not my intention to pursue policies that reduce gaming in Indiana, but neither is it my policy to expand gaming in Indiana,” Pence told the Evansville Courier Press, repeating his oft-stated position on the issue.
Ed Feigenbaum, a veteran observer of the state’s gaming industry and editor of Indiana Gaming Insight, notes that Pence has been clear about opposing any expansion, but has also been open to tax breaks and other forms of aid to maintain the status quo in the state.
“Lawmakers would like to see a clearer definition of what he will accept or not and learn a bit more about why he feels that way philosophically, given the economics of the situation and the reality of the world facing the industry in Indiana and its 13,000 direct jobs,” Feigenbaum said. “In the end, however, they may simply go their own way, and if there is sufficient support for change in the Legislature, they may risk a veto and consider an override.”
Indiana’s governor can veto measures, but lawmakers can override that veto with a simple majority — the same hurdle needed to pass any legislation in the first place. That effectively dilutes the power of any veto.
Gambling in Indiana has long been the province of the state’s Democrats, with legalization of casinos and slots at the racetracks all happening under Democratic governors. The gaming operations themselves have often provided jobs in either current Democratic strongholds — like northwest Indiana — or former strongholds along the Ohio River.
But the question now falls to Republicans, who hold the governor’s office and supermajorities in both the House and the Senate. One of the key players, House Public Policy Chairman Tom Dermody, R-LaPorte, began a series of hearings on the issue last month, vetting the issue ahead of January’s session.
Pence has maintained a light touch with the General Assembly, adopting an approach of submitting broad legislative agendas and relying on fellow Republican lawmakers to fill in the key details. Both of his tax cut plans, offered in 2013 and then in 2014, were altered significantly by Republican legislative leaders.
But at the end of each session, Pence, Senate President Pro Tem David Long, R-Fort Wayne, and House Speaker Brian Bosma, R-Indianapolis, walked away from the session touting the tax cuts as universal victories — regardless of how they looked.
Gambling expansion has the potential, however, to put Pence opposite those same Republican leaders. The results next session will offer a true mark of his influence inside the Statehouse, and, more specifically, the General Assembly.
Posted: Sunday, October 5, 2014 12:00 am
Gov. Mike Pence has clearly stated he does not want an expansion of gambling in the state of Indiana. Many people throughout the state agree with him, including several in the state legislature.Indiana currently has 13 casinos, 10 of which border neighboring states. For many years, non-Indiana residents would cross over into Indiana and gamble with Hoosiers. In 2011, Indiana was the third largest commercial gaming market by revenue. Since then, Ohio and Michigan casinos have developed, with Illinois discussing land-based casinos as close as Danville and Kentucky debating the need for casinos in the Bluegrass State.
http://www.chronicle-tribune.com/opinion/realign-don-t-expand-casinos/article_d419a4d8-4c3f-11e4-8a9b-8feebf9adf28.html
Sunday, July 6, 2014
Self-Exclusion not a solution!
More people ban themselves at Ohio gambling sites
Associated Press
Published: July 5, 2014 - 07:59 PM
More than a thousand potential gamblers are now banning themselves from Ohio’s casinos and racinos as the state’s gambling industry expands.
The Ohio Casino Control Commission’s Voluntary Exclusion Program that began two years ago to help target problem gambling now includes more than 980 names, the Dayton Daily News reported.
The Ohio Lottery oversees operations at the state’s racinos, which feature horse racing tracks and slot machines. More than 200 names are on that list.
People can ban themselves for a year, five years or life.
The casino commission’s executive director, Mark Schuler, says those violating the voluntary ban can be charged with criminal trespassing and have their gambling winnings confiscated. The casinos have conducted 83 investigations of potential violators and 78 people have been charged with trespassing, he said.
Program violators have forfeited $28,552 in winnings, with the money going to the Problem Gambling Resource Fund.
Schuler said it isn’t impossible for someone on the banned list to return to a casino, but it is difficult.
“Our gaming agents at each facility are familiar with those who have enrolled and could observe them on the floor,” Schuler said. “The same thing is true for the security and surveillance personnel.
They have pictures of the individuals and it’s their job to be familiar with them.”
Experts say the program is a good step, but it probably only draws a small amount of problem gamblers.
“That’s probably a fraction of the percentage of people who have gambling disorder,” said Dr. Ryan Peirson, chief clinical officer for the Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services Board of Montgomery County.
Maryhaven, a comprehensive behavioral health facility in Columbus, specializes in treatment for addictive illness. Bruce Jones, who coordinates Maryhaven’s gambling intervention program, says the number of people seeking services there has nearly doubled since the casinos opened.
The four casinos and five racinos in Ohio are relatively new, and few statistics exist on gambling in the state. The first of Ohio’s casinos and racinos opened in 2012.
Neighboring Indiana has 13 casinos and more than 5,000 members in its voluntary exclusion program, according to the newspaper. More than 6,900 people in Pennsylvania have asked to be placed on that state’s self-exclusion list, and more than 3,400 people have signed up since 2001 for Michigan’s program, which offers only lifetime bans.
The Ohio Casino Control Commission’s Voluntary Exclusion Program that began two years ago to help target problem gambling now includes more than 980 names, the Dayton Daily News reported.
The Ohio Lottery oversees operations at the state’s racinos, which feature horse racing tracks and slot machines. More than 200 names are on that list.
People can ban themselves for a year, five years or life.
The casino commission’s executive director, Mark Schuler, says those violating the voluntary ban can be charged with criminal trespassing and have their gambling winnings confiscated. The casinos have conducted 83 investigations of potential violators and 78 people have been charged with trespassing, he said.
Program violators have forfeited $28,552 in winnings, with the money going to the Problem Gambling Resource Fund.
Schuler said it isn’t impossible for someone on the banned list to return to a casino, but it is difficult.
“Our gaming agents at each facility are familiar with those who have enrolled and could observe them on the floor,” Schuler said. “The same thing is true for the security and surveillance personnel.
They have pictures of the individuals and it’s their job to be familiar with them.”
Experts say the program is a good step, but it probably only draws a small amount of problem gamblers.
“That’s probably a fraction of the percentage of people who have gambling disorder,” said Dr. Ryan Peirson, chief clinical officer for the Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services Board of Montgomery County.
Maryhaven, a comprehensive behavioral health facility in Columbus, specializes in treatment for addictive illness. Bruce Jones, who coordinates Maryhaven’s gambling intervention program, says the number of people seeking services there has nearly doubled since the casinos opened.
The four casinos and five racinos in Ohio are relatively new, and few statistics exist on gambling in the state. The first of Ohio’s casinos and racinos opened in 2012.
Neighboring Indiana has 13 casinos and more than 5,000 members in its voluntary exclusion program, according to the newspaper. More than 6,900 people in Pennsylvania have asked to be placed on that state’s self-exclusion list, and more than 3,400 people have signed up since 2001 for Michigan’s program, which offers only lifetime bans.
Monday, March 24, 2014
Indiana Couple Arrested for Cheating Harrah's
Indiana Couple Implicated in Joliet Casino Cheating Ring Jailed
Two of the five alleged casino cheats who took the Joliet Harrah's for as much as $500,000 were arrested.
Virginia Thorpe
Former LaPorte supt. now faces charges involving Illinois casinos
POSTED: 04:53 AM EDT Mar 24, 2014
Former LaPorte Schools Superintendent Rande Thorpe (Miss. booking photo)
The former superintendent of LaPorte Schools and his wife both now face several charges involving Illinois casinos.
Rande Thorpe, 57, and 59-year-old Virginia Thorpe are accused of taking part in a ring that would rig video Keno machines at a Joliet, Illinois casino.
The couple is now charged with several crimes there.
Thorpe was arrested for the same type of crime at a casino in Mississippi just before he suddenly resigned from LaPorte at the end of January.
http://www.wsbt.com/news/local/former-laporte-supt-now-faces-charges-involving-illinois-casinos/25130500
Former LP schools superintendent arrested
By MATT FRITZ
Staff writer
La PORTE — Two days after the La Porte Community School Board accepted a retirement request from interim superintendent Rande Thorpe, he was arrested in Mississippi on a charge related to gaming violations.
Thorpe was arrested on Jan. 22 by the Tunica County Sheriff's Department.
"We are shocked by this happening," school board president Mike Kellems said Monday. "We were made aware of some legal issues by Mr. Thorpe just prior to his request to retire, and the one thing we are confident of is it had no connection to the La Porte Community School Corporation."
On Jan. 20, board members accepted Thorpe's retirement request, citing a letter from Thorpe which referred to family health issues
Thorpe was arrested on Jan. 22 by the Tunica County Sheriff's Department.
"We are shocked by this happening," school board president Mike Kellems said Monday. "We were made aware of some legal issues by Mr. Thorpe just prior to his request to retire, and the one thing we are confident of is it had no connection to the La Porte Community School Corporation."
On Jan. 20, board members accepted Thorpe's retirement request, citing a letter from Thorpe which referred to family health issues
During the meeting, board member Mitch Feikes made reference to a sign on Thorpe's wall at La Porte Community Schools reading, "I will never do anything illegal, immoral or unethical."
He was credited with keeping the corporation in good financial standing despite state budget cuts and the county-wide tax situation, which severely cut corporation revenue.
On Monday, Kellems said the school board has little knowledge about what Thorpe's facing or what occurred.
"The only thing we knew is just prior to his request to retire there was a warrant issued for his arrest in the state of Mississippi for a gaming violation," he said.
He said he had the school board attorney contact the Mississippi attorney general's office for more information, but to no avail.
"I understand when there's an ongoing investigation they are only going to release so much," said Kellems, who is also the commander of La Porte County Jail, "and this is something I'm doing as board president, not as a law enforcer."
While confirming the arrest, representatives from the Tunica County Sheriff's Department would release no further information without a written request.
A representative from the Mississippi Gaming Commission said Thorpe's arrest is part of an ongoing investigation and the organization is not releasing any information at this time.
Kellems said the school board is now advertising for a permanent superintendent and is selecting a committee to help in the process of selecting a candidate.
An interview with a prospective interim superintendent was held Monday during an executive session of the board.
http://thenewsdispatch.com/articles/2014/02/04/news/local/doc52f040a1528c4216474566.txt
Wednesday, February 5, 2014
Hoosier Park tightens belt by reducing staff
February 3, 2014
Hoosier Park tightens belt by reducing staff
Officials say layoffs are the result of a downturn in business and a poor economy
ANDERSON — Hoosier Park Racing & Casino has laid off 13 employees due to a downturn in business, poor economic conditions and “ongoing and very aggressive” competition from Ohio casinos.
Jahnae Erpenbach, vice president and general manager of gaming for Hoosier Park, said the employees were offered severance packages, other positions within the company, or outplacement services to help them transition into new employment on Friday.
“Believe me, Hoosier Park would much rather be adding jobs,” Erpenbach said.
The staffing level adjustments were made through a reduction of staff and the combining and changing of responsibilities, she said.
Erpenbach said that because the cutback was made to meet the ongoing business levels of Hoosier Park, customers would not be affected by the changes made in staffing levels.
Hoosier Park employs approximately 1,000 employees at Hoosier Park, she said.
In December, Hoosier Park reported a 3 percent drop in revenue from January to November 2013, compared to the same period in 2012.
In an Indiana Gaming Commission report, Hoosier Park reported a total win of $17,085,600 for 2013, down from its 2012 total win of $17,543,537.
Statewide, 13 casinos reported an 8 percent total drop in revenue in 2013, which is a loss of $13 million from 2012.
Erpenbach said new hires will depend on the growth of the gambling industry.
“I hope we have a successful year,” she said.
Like Traci L. Moyer on Facebook and follow her @moyyer on Twitter, or call 648-4250.
Wagering tax According to the Indiana Gaming Commission's Annual Report for 2013, Hoosier Park was in the state's top six out of 13 casinos for its percentage of annual wagering taxes. - 23 percent Horseshoe Hammond- 15 percent Hollwood- 10 percent Ameristar- 12 percent Horseshoe Southern- 8 percent Indiana Grand- 7 percent Hoosier Park- 6 percent Blue Chip- 5 percent Belterra- 4 percent Tropicana Evansville- 3 percent Majestic Star- 3 percent Majestic Star II- 2 percent French Lick- 2 percent Rising Star Source: Indiana Gaming Commission
http://www.heraldbulletin.com/business/x1262669012/Hoosier-Park-tightens-belt-by-reducing-staff
Friday, January 24, 2014
Declining revenues????
Mississippi casino revenues hit lowest yearly mark since 1997
Mississippi Business
Journal (blog) - Casino_rouletter_wheel RGB Last year was the
weakest gaming revenue year for Mississippi casinos since 1997, according
to numbers released ...
Mississippi Casinos Down 5.1% To $2.13bn In
2013
Online Poker.net - The Mississippi Gaming Commission has
released its gambling figures for the whole of 2013, revealing the state's 30
casinos experienced a 5.1% ...
South Mississippi 2013 casino revenue lowest
since 1999
SunHerald.com -
JOHN FITZHUGH/SUN HERALD/FILEGamblers play
poker at a Coast casino. A report Thursday said revenues in 2013 were at
their lowest level in 14 ...
Miss. casino revenue falls in December and
year
Kansas City Star - The 18 river casinos from Tunica to Natchez
won $82.7 million, down 13.5 ... The numbers exclude Choctaw Indian
casinos, which aren't required to ...
Allowing more casinos will saturate market
Albuquerque Journal (subscription) - ...
are specific provisions in the currently proposed Navajo Nation Compact that
could cause substantial harm to the state's Indian Gaming industry and ...
Pennsylvania Casino Revenue Falls for First
Time; Harbinger for ...
OnlinePokerReport.com - Pennsylvania's gambling revenue
dropped for the first time since the state expanded gambling in 2006 with slot
casinos, and later in 2010 when table ...
Cincinnati casino brings Indiana
gambling tax revenues down
Akron Legal News - 2006, a visitor plays a slot machine at the
French Lick Resort-Casino in French
Lick, Ind. Indiana's casino tax
revenues have fallen faster than ...
Friday, November 22, 2013
Breaking Government Addiction to Gambling Revenue
Interesting ramifications of Government Addiction to Gambling Revenues.....
McDermott still touts water sales to fund scholarship program
McDermott still touts water sales to fund scholarship program
HAMMOND | Mayor Thomas M. McDermott Jr. provided more details Thursday night on how he hopes the city’s College Bound scholarship program can be funded without casino revenues.
The program will expire at the end of the 2015-16 school year.
McDermott met with more than 100 Hammond residents at Edison Elementary School to gather their input about extending College Bound for another 10 to 20 years.
Gaming revenue provided the initial funding for the scholarship program. However, McDermott said, relying on that sole source is now a weakness.
“It was like jumping out of an airplane without a backup parachute,” he said. He added, if Chicago gets casinos “we will be in a major dog fight in gaming.”
New deals Hammond recently made to sell water at $2.20 per 1,000 gallons to Chicago Heights and Calumet City will provide revenues for College Bound for the next 20 years, according to the mayor.
“It’s a windfall for the city,” he said, adding that Chicago sells water to surrounding Illinois communities at more than twice that price.
“Let’s get off the gaming revenue (for College Bound). I would like to see it extended for 20 years.
That would cover any child alive in Hammond today,” he said.
McDermott first proposed the College Bound program in 2006 to increase home ownership, make education a priority and improve the quality of life within the city.
Participation in College Bound has steadily increased along with the cost of the scholarship program, he said.
Currently 535 students participate in the program that provides qualified homeowners’ children with up to $10,200 per year college scholarships to be used in public or private colleges or universities in Indiana.
Students must meet the program’s basic education requirements and their parents must own and reside in a home in Hammond. The students’ college grades are closely monitored and every recipient must do specific hours of community service in the city.
“It’s now a larger part of the (city’s) budget, over $3 million this year,” McDermott said.
The next College Bound public forum begins at 6:30 p.m. Jan. 8 at Hammond’s Lost Marsh Golf Course Clubhouse, 1001 129th St.
http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/hammond/mcdermott-still-touts-water-sales-to-fund-scholarship-program/article_a97ffd9d-feaf-59ed-ab7a-2f2f06d605d5.html
The program will expire at the end of the 2015-16 school year.
McDermott met with more than 100 Hammond residents at Edison Elementary School to gather their input about extending College Bound for another 10 to 20 years.
Gaming revenue provided the initial funding for the scholarship program. However, McDermott said, relying on that sole source is now a weakness.
“It was like jumping out of an airplane without a backup parachute,” he said. He added, if Chicago gets casinos “we will be in a major dog fight in gaming.”
New deals Hammond recently made to sell water at $2.20 per 1,000 gallons to Chicago Heights and Calumet City will provide revenues for College Bound for the next 20 years, according to the mayor.
“It’s a windfall for the city,” he said, adding that Chicago sells water to surrounding Illinois communities at more than twice that price.
“Let’s get off the gaming revenue (for College Bound). I would like to see it extended for 20 years.
That would cover any child alive in Hammond today,” he said.
McDermott first proposed the College Bound program in 2006 to increase home ownership, make education a priority and improve the quality of life within the city.
Participation in College Bound has steadily increased along with the cost of the scholarship program, he said.
Currently 535 students participate in the program that provides qualified homeowners’ children with up to $10,200 per year college scholarships to be used in public or private colleges or universities in Indiana.
Students must meet the program’s basic education requirements and their parents must own and reside in a home in Hammond. The students’ college grades are closely monitored and every recipient must do specific hours of community service in the city.
“It’s now a larger part of the (city’s) budget, over $3 million this year,” McDermott said.
The next College Bound public forum begins at 6:30 p.m. Jan. 8 at Hammond’s Lost Marsh Golf Course Clubhouse, 1001 129th St.
http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/hammond/mcdermott-still-touts-water-sales-to-fund-scholarship-program/article_a97ffd9d-feaf-59ed-ab7a-2f2f06d605d5.html
Thursday, September 26, 2013
Public Corruption in Illinois
Spotlight on corruption at Illinois sentencing
By MICHAEL TARM, Associated Press
Updated 4:05 pm, Wednesday, September 25, 2013
CHICAGO (AP) — Triggering disagreement over just what constitutes public trust, a judge on Wednesday sentenced a famously brash Chicago Democrat to six months in prison for failing to declare campaign cash he spent at casinos as taxable income.
Prosecutors said former Cook County Commissioner William Beavers' tax evasion was little different than the public corruption that has plagued Illinois for decades. In a rare move after the hearing, Chicago's acting U.S. attorney criticized the judge's sentence as too lenient.
The normally effusive Beavers declined U.S. District Judge James Zagel's offer to make a statement before he was sentenced. But the 78-year-old quickly found his voice outside the courtroom after the hearing.
"I ain't begging for nothing," Beavers boomed when asked why he didn't ask Zagel to give him probation so that he wouldn't have to go to prison.
Zagel, who sentenced former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich to 14 years in prison for corruption in 2011, agreed during the hearing that Beavers' tax dodge had further eroded voters' faith.
But he also said not all violations of public trust are equal, arguing that misdeeds by more consequential figures higher up the chain, such as governors, should be punished more severely.
"And there is, in fact, no claim of great public achievement," Zagel said of Beavers, who also served for years as a Chicago alderman. "There is nothing in particular that distinguishes him."
That assessment of his power is a jarring contrast to Beavers' best known rhetorical flourish, when he once bragged about his influence by describing himself as a "hog with big nuts."
After the hearing, acting U.S. Attorney Gary Shapiro took the uncommon step of publicly criticizing a federal judge, telling reporters he thought a tougher penalty was warranted.
"I think this tends to undercut what we say about public trust in public officials," he said.
During his more than a quarter-century in Chicago politics, Beavers exuded a you-can't-touch-me persona. And even though he is bound for prison — ordered to report by Dec. 2 — he displayed the same bravado in the courthouse corridor.
"Listen, I'm a hero in my community," a smiling, cheerful Beavers told reporters. "My people love me ... for standing and fighting the government, one on one."
In arguing earlier that Beavers deserved nearly two years behind bars, prosecutor Matthew Getter told Zagel that corruption-minded politicians hadn't been deterred by watching a steady stream of colleagues go through federal court.
"This (corruption) isn't going to change until the risk-reward analysis of these people changes," he said.
Zagel, though, noted the government didn't prosecute Beavers for selling his influence or some other variant of public corruption.
"This is a common, ordinary offense ... of tax evasion," he said.
Gambling with political donors' money isn't against the law. Beavers' crime was not declaring its use as income.
Prosecutors said Beavers lost $500,000 at Indiana's Horseshoe Casino, sometimes writing himself one $2,000 campaign check after another on daylong gambling binges.
Beavers has said the government charged him in retaliation for his refusal in 2009 to wear a wire in a potential case against a fellow commissioner. He repeated that claim after Wednesday's hearing.
"They sent the FBI to try and make me a stool pigeon," he said. "I'm not a stool pigeon."
In sentencing Beavers, Zagel barred him from gambling or even walking into a casino for a year after his release. Zagel also fined him $10,000 and ordered he pay $30,848 in restitution to the IRS.
At Wednesday's hearing, prosecutors highlighted the unapologetic chord Beavers has struck since his 2012 indictment.
Getter, the prosecutor, handed the judge a copy of an article in Wednesday's Chicago Sun-Times in which Beavers was quoted as saying in an interview, "I'm not going to change."
"He remains absolutely unrepentant for what he did," Getter said.
Showing no emotion, Beavers looked on from a nearby defense table — his hands folded across his own copy the day's Sun-Times.
Sunday, September 22, 2013
Monday, September 16, 2013
Rabbi struggles with gambling addiction, loss of pulpit
Rabbi struggles with gambling addiction, loss of pulpit
Esteemed clergyman's secret is revealed after arrest at Indiana casino
Rabbi Michael Sternfield presided for many years at Chicago Sinai Congregation at State Street and Delaware Place, on the Near North Side. (Chicago Tribune, Nancy Stone / September 8, 2013)
September 16, 2013
But not long after he arrived in Chicago, Sternfield discovered the riverboat casinos within easy driving distance. Again drawn to video poker, he returned frequently, sometimes playing for hours at a time. Every year, he asked the casinos to provide financial reports for tax purposes. Every year, he saw his losses far exceed his wins.
"I never looked at it as a social activity," he said. "I could sit there for 8 to 10 hours just pushing the buttons. I didn't want anything to drink. I didn't want to eat anything. Somebody would sit down next to me, and I'd get upset," because they were encroaching on his emotional bubble.
By 2005, Sternfield said even though he didn't like what he was doing, he couldn't stop it. And so he sought therapy. He wrote a letter to casinos in Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin, asking them to bar him from their premises and placed himself on statewide self-eviction lists in Indiana and Illinois.
"With this letter, I am permanently self-excluding from your casino," Sternfield wrote to Blue Chip Casino in Michigan City in May 2005. "Please do not me permit (sic) to engage in any activities in your facility. … I realize that this request is irrevocable."
Two days later he signed a "self-eviction request" acknowledging that if he entered the Blue Chip property, he could be arrested and charged with trespassing.
Shortly after sending letters to the casinos, he was indeed arrested, he said. Playing the machines at a Horseshoe Casino in Hammond, he won $1,200. When he told the staff his name, they denied him the money and police took him into custody. But the casino didn't press charges, he said.
Six years later, at the Blue Chip Casino, came the $10,000 jackpot. As the staff congratulated him on his apparent good luck, they also asked for his name. There were too many cameras for him to walk away, he said.
"I simply panicked," Sternfield said. "I made a serious and very unwise decision on the spur of the moment. I made up a fictitious name."
Court documents allege that Sternfield also presented a bank card with the name Michael Fainstein, but Sternfield insists that he only scribbled an imaginary name and the staff took him at his word, "which I, of course, very much regret."
Blue Chip Casino chose to press charges of trespassing and identity deception. Sternfield hired a lawyer, who advised the rabbi to turn himself in, he said. He drove to the courthouse in Michigan City, Ind., where his mug shot was taken. Sternfield met criteria established by prosecutors to get his charges dismissed in January of this year. What remained of the $10,000 prize after taxes covered his legal fees.
Shortly thereafter, Sternfield said, someone in the Chicago Sinai congregation spotted the mug shot posted on a website called justmugshots.com. When a temple leader first confronted Sternfield about the photo, he said, he made up a story involving an altercation.
He logged onto the site and paid its asking price of $199.99 to have the photo removed.
After more temple leaders came to him less than a week later, he said, he eventually told them the whole story.
"This is the nature of addiction. You can't admit out loud that you have this problem," he said. "It was unbearable for me to admit."
Within a few months, he said, the temple's executive committee told Sternfield he was leaving. He insists that the reasons for his dismissal didn't extend beyond gambling and his dishonesty about it.
He said he offered several drafts of a resignation letter, one of them explaining his addiction to the congregation.
"I had that letter ready to go," he said, "and I was not permitted to send it."
Some members of the congregation say they would like to have heard a more candid explanation.
"I think he should've been given an opportunity to tell his story about what happened and allow the congregation to decide what they wanted," said Crystal Van Der Linden, 32, when the Tribune told her Sternfield's explanation of what had occurred. "We were not given a choice. Still there are so many people that just don't know. There are just wretched rumors."
Neuman said if anyone could deliver a graceful public confession, it's Sternfield.
"Knowing Michael, it would have been great sermon material to be out with it," she said.
Rabbi Michael Balinsky, an Orthodox rabbi who serves as the executive vice president of the Chicago Board of Rabbis, said knowing where to draw the line when a spiritual leader goes astray can be a complex decision for a congregation to make.
"The question is, 'Are there certain red lines that people accept about the humanity of clergy and other cases where it becomes more problematic?'" he said, adding that he had no knowledge of the situation at Chicago Sinai.
Mannis, the temple president, said many congregants feel a profound sense of loss after Sternfield's departure, since Sternfield is the only rabbi many of them have ever known.
"I've had questions and discussions on where we've been and where we're going from here," he said.
"From the very beginning our aim at Sinai has been to respect Rabbi Sternfield. He helped a lot of others in a lot of ways."
Sternfield said setting the record straight, which he did only when approached by the Tribune, heightened his High Holy Days experience. Rabbis often spend the entire year preparing their sermons for Yom Kippur, the holiest day on the Jewish calendar.
"For 44 years, I've conducted High Holy Day services delivering sermons that would be meaningful and would inspire and motivate," Sternfield said. "That was always my objective. For the first time, I didn't have to worry about the public presentation. I had to focus on my inner life and my relationships with people most important to me."
On Saturday, Sinai's turnout for Yom Kippur services soared, as usual. Congregants sat inside the synagogue's sanctuary as well as at nearby Fourth Presbyterian Church, reciting prayers and confessions as a community — a ritual intended to signify each Jew's responsibility for one another.
Sternfield spent the day in his high-rise condominium fasting and praying alone.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/ct-met-gambling-rabbi-20130916,0,7897715.story?page=1
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
