Former Fall River City Councilor Gets Probation For Illegal Gambling Cafes

FALL RIVER, Mass. (AP) — A former Fall River city councilor has pleaded guilty to gaming charges in connection with operating two internet cafés in Fall River and Fairhaven.

Attorney General Martha Coakley said 66-year-old Leo Pelletier  of Fall River, and 47-year-old Linda Pelletier of Spring Hill, Fla., both pleaded guilty Thursday in Bristol County Superior Court.

The charges included organizing or promoting gambling services, operating an illegal lottery, allowing lotteries in a building, and the sale and advertising of lottery tickets.

Superior Court Judge Susan Garsh sentenced each to two years of probation.

Coakley said Friday the two operated the "Leo's Place" internet cafés through a corporation they managed. Garsh ordered that 100 percent of the corporation's assets, over $100,000, be forfeited to the state.

It's illegal in Massachusetts to run or promote a gambling operation.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.