Roanoke Co. Police explain raids on Internet cafes

By: Scott Leamon | WSLS
Published: April 20, 2010

UPDATED 8:33 p.m.
by Ashley Roberts
WSLS Reporter
aroberts@wsls.com

ROANOKE, VA - Four internet cafes in Roanoke County are at the center of one big investigation involving illegal gambling and money laundering.

Search warrants filed Monday outline the detectives' undercover operation.

At the first business, SLG Internet Cafe, a detective started with $20 in one instance, played casino-style games and eventually won $82.

At Bennett's Internet, an attendant made the detective sign a document explaining he was purchasing internet time and would be given free entries into a sweepstakes, that according to court documents.

The detective starting playing with $100 and left with only $13.

According to the search warrants, 20 other people were at the cafe playing the same games, but none of them were using the internet.

Details of the undercover operation at the third internet cafe, Connected, Inc., are similar.

The detective played and won $90. He says at no time, did employees advise him on his ability to access the internet.

He says the cards issued to customers "contain account numbers and constitute evidence of illegal gambling."

Finally, at the Peters Creek Business Center, a detective walked away with the biggest win of $133.

After a year-long investigation, police finally went in last week.

This time they weren't undercover.

They seized more than 120-computers, well over $22,000 and game cards.

None of the business owners have been charged, but I spoke with two of them who maintain they were running a legitimate business and plan to fight the case.

Police are still sifting through all the items taken from the internet cafes.

They say the investigation could take up to several weeks.

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ROANOKE CO. - Several police detectives outlined why they proposed to raid four Internet cafes in search warrants on file in Roanoke County Circuit Court.

Roanoke County police, Virginia State Police, the FBI, and the IRS participated in the raids on April 15th.

In the search warrants, detectives gave the dates in which they played alleged casino games inside each of the four locations.

One detective wrote he won almost $100 playing casino-style games in less than an hour. Another detective wrote he lost most of his money playing casino-style games at Bennett's Internet, in September of 2009.

Each detective claimed all the patrons inside each of the four games always seemed to be playing games instead of using time to surf the web.