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For Immediate Release:

Romulus woman awaits April 6 sentencing after pleading guilty in Ypsilanti Township gambling operations case

Detroit, April 5, 2023 - The owner of a former Ypsilanti Township illegal gambling location will be sentenced April 6 in Washtenaw County Circuit Court after pleading guilty to one felony count of gambling operations.

Connie Durham, 69, of Romulus agreed to forfeit $6,012 in cash and gift cards and 37 gaming machines and computers confiscated from her former business, Stony Creek, which was located at 2040 Whittaker, Suite 5, Ypsilanti Township. Warrants were served following an investigation by the Michigan Department of Attorney General and Michigan Gaming Control Board.

?Illegal gambling operations typically target vulnerable people and don?t offer patron protections such as self-exclusion options, reviewed and approved games and machines or dispute resolution,? said Henry Williams, Michigan Gaming Control Board executive director. ?An illegal gambling operation also can attract other types of crime to neighborhoods including illegal drugs and human trafficking.?

Durham originally was charged in August 2022 with four felony counts of gambling operations, two counts of using a computer to commit a crime and one high court misdemeanor charge of maintaining a gambling house for gain. She pled guilty Feb. 7 to a single felony charge of gambling operations.

?Illegal gambling diverts taxes and revenue from our communities which is otherwise used to support our state and schools,? said Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel. ?My office remains committed to upholding our state?s gambling laws and appreciates the hard work of the Michigan Gaming Control Board.?

Charges also were filed in August 2022 against Durham?s employees:

• Cecil E. Roberson, 77, of Ypsilanti, two felony counts of gambling operations and using computers to commit a crime and a high court misdemeanor of maintaining a gambling house for gain
• Timothy B. Reardon, 43, of Ypsilanti, four felony counts of gambling operations, two felony counts of using computers to commit a crime and one high court misdemeanor of maintaining a gambling house for gain
• Angela M. Amperez-Lopez, 35, of Ypsilanti, one felony count of gambling operations, one felony count of using computers to commit a crime and one high court misdemeanor of maintaining a gambling house for gain
• Beverly M. Weatherspoon, 67, of Ypsilanti, one felony count of gambling operations, two felony counts of using computers to commit a crime and one high court misdemeanor of maintaining a gambling house for gain

Reardon waived his probable cause hearing and is scheduled for a pretrial hearing on all counts in Washtenaw County Circuit Court on May 2. Following preliminary exam hearings on March 23, Roberson, Amperez-Lopez and Weatherspoon were bound over to circuit court, and a pretrial hearing is scheduled for them May 2 on all counts.

The public can report alleged illegal gambling by contacting the MGCB at 1-888-314-2682 or [email protected].

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"The Michigan Gaming Control Board shall ensure the conduct of fair and honest gaming to protect the interests of the?citizens of the State of Michigan."

• Stony Creek internet cafe.png
• Ypsi Township Stony Creek gambling 2023.docx

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