Criminal charges involving illegal gambling and slot machines are being filed against three Logansport residents in Cass County Circuit Court following raids on two local businesses and an investigation by the Indiana Gaming Commission.
The Logansport Police Department and the Cass County Sheriff’s Office assisted the Indiana Gaming Commission in raiding J and F Services near the 300 block of Fifth Street and Jean Tax Services near the 3300 block of East Market Street.
Police have arrested Esther Saintil, Frantz Joseph and Jean Ricot Bozier on charges of influencing business corruption, a 5th degree felony; professional gambling and knowingly maintaining a slot machine and/or pinball machine, a 6th degree felony; maintaining a professional gambling website and knowingly accepting money for the purpose of Making a profit is a 6th degree felony.
Akime Forteus, 32, of Lawrence, was also arrested for illegal gambling, a Class B misdemeanor.
The raids and arrests come after a lengthy investigation by the Indiana Gaming Commission. An undercover Indiana Gaming Commission official opened an investigation after Logansport Police Department detectives saw video game equipment and counterfeit items inside the Jean Tax Service near the end of March, according to an affidavit of probable cause.
The officer, along with the company’s owner, Jean Ricot Bozier, visited the Jean tax office, looked at a fake Louis Vuitton wallet and played one of two slot machines in the building. one. Over the course of several months, he bought the fake wallet for $180 and continued to tour and monitor the building.
Around May, the official noticed that two slot machines had been replaced by three different machines. The officer asked Bozier if he owned his own machine and said he had a friend who wanted to install electronic gambling in the bar.
Bozier allegedly told the officer that he got his machine from Florida and could help the officer get it. He later told the officer that the machines cost between $5,000 and $7,000.
When the officer visited Jean Tax Services again in June, the slot machine was gone. Bozier allegedly told the officer that the machines only made $1,000 to $1,500 a fortnight, and that he only received 40 percent of that. The machines were removed, he added, and told officials they would “make more money at the new location.”
About a month later, the officer received information from an employee at the Rosie and Clive Beauty Salon about another illegal gambling site at F and J Services. At the company, he played borlette, a game where people play double-digit numbers. The winning numbers are determined by a specific lottery draw in one of the few major U.S. cities.
The officer bet on eight numbers for $5 each, which will be determined by the New York Lottery’s evening draw. Esther Saintil, a woman at the company, reportedly printed a ticket with the information to the officer.
The officer continued to visit F and J services, and eventually he met owner Frantz Joseph. He learns that Joseph and Saintil are siblings and finds five slot machines in the company. The officer continued to visit the business and play borlette and slot machines to investigate.
The officer’s investigation culminated in raids on Jean Tax Services and F and J Services in October. 7. Bozier, Saintil and Joseph arrested, scheduled to stand trial next year