Two people have been charged with possession of an illegal gambling device for operating skill games, marking the first indictments against Alexandria business owners.
The Alexandria Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office just announced that a grand jury returned indictments against Alexandria business owners Oscar Salinas, 57, and Michelle Kim, 53, both charged with one count of possessing an illegal gambling device. Salinas is an Arlington resident, and his restaurant is located in the 3800 block of Mount Vernon Avenue in the Del Ray North Shopping Center. Kim is from Montgomery County, Maryland, and her business is located in the 200 block of S. Van Dorn Street.
As previously reported, dozens of skill game machines operate at multiple convenience and grocery stores in the West End and Arlandria neighborhoods. Skill games were outlawed as illegal gaming by the Virginia legislature in 2020. Last fall, police hand-delivered letters to more than a dozen offending businesses, warning them of legal consequences unless they removed the machines.
“We are assessing all potential investigative leads, and if we get to a juncture where we believe we have enough evidence for a prosecutable offense, we will prosecute that crime,” Commonwealth’s Attorney Bryan Porter told ALXnow.
In April, however, a ruling in Hanover County dismissing a case against a skill games operator put the anti-gambling effort into a tailspin in Alexandria. General District Court Judge Hugh Campbell dismissed a case against a convenience store owner in Hanover County and found that new QVS2 (Queen of Virginia) machines by Pace-O-Matic that are unlocked when customers give clerks cash are not illegal gambling devices.
According to Porter’s office:
The charges arose following an illegal skill games investigation led by the Vice/Narcotics Section of the Alexandria Police Department. With regard to Mr.
Salinas, investigation revealed that several illegal skill game devices were being operated inside of a business he owned and operated in the 3800 block of Mt. Vernon Avenue. With regard to Ms. Kim, investigation revealed that several illegal skill game devices were being operated inside of a business she owned and operated in the 200 block of S. Van Dorn Street. Both defendants had previously received warning letters from the Alexandria Police Department warning them that the devices being operated were illegal.
In March, Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares issued a memorandum to Virginia prosecutors and chiefs of police, stating that the devices are still illegal. Business owners face a Class 6 felony punishable by up to a year in prison and/or a $2,500 fine and a $25,000 civil penalty per device. Additionally, playing the games is a Class 3 misdemeanor, punishable by up to a $500 fine.
La Feria Latina (3840 Mount Vernon Avenue) in Arlandria has multiple machines and posted a letter from Pace-O-Matic inside the store near the front counter (see below).
