http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2015/12/1000_loss_for_illegal_sports_g.html
[h=1]$1K loss for illegal sports gambler[/h]
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Preliminary hearing for men charged in connection with Putt Putt's Bar gambling
Barry Lott, center, wipes his face as he sits next to Mark Stouten, right, during their preliminary examination at the Kent County Courthouse on Monday, Sept. 21, 2015 in Grand Rapids. The men are facing charges in connection with an investigation of illegal gambling at Putt Putt's Bar in Grand Rapids. (Neil Blake | MLive.com)
Neil Blake | [email]nblake1@mlive.com[/email]
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By Barton Deiters | [email]bdeiters@mlive.com[/email]The Grand Rapids Press
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on December 03, 2015 at 8:30 AM, updated December 03, 2015 at 12:05 PM
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Kevin Michael McKenneyKent County Jail
GRAND RAPIDS, MI – No jail, no probation and a $1,000 fine was the result for one of a trio of men netted in what officials describe as a year-long, undercover investigation into bet-taking at a popular West Side bar.
Kent County Circuit Court Judge George Buth imposed the $1,000 fine on Kevin Michael McKenney, a 40-year-old who, along with 73-year-old Mark Irwin Stouten and 66-year-old Barry Barlett Lott, pleaded guilty in October to illegal sports betting that went on the first half of the year at Putt-Putt's Bar, 1148 W. Fulton St.
The three were originally charged with conspiracy to commit gambling, a five-year felony, as well as misdemeanor counts of gambling - taking bets, possession of gambling paraphernalia, and selling pools and registering bets.
The bar was raided in May as part of a joint investigation by the Grand Rapids Police Department and the Michigan Liquor Control Commission.
According to court records, officers received a tip that Lott allegedly ran the operation and frequently conducted business out of Putt Putt's. Police searched his financial records tied to an account at a federal credit union.
Stouten was charged as a repeat offender and has a previous gambling charge dating back four decades. The other two have no previous criminal record, according to court files.
During the police investigation, an undercover detective placed illegal bets with at least one suspect, search warrant records show.
Attorneys for the three argue what they were doing was no different than what is done at a majority of sports bars and is now available online offering payouts far higher than anything seen at Putt-Putt's.
McKenney was sentenced Wednesday, Dec, 2, while Lott and Stouten are scheduled to be sentenced next week.
E-mail Barton Deiters: bdeiters@mlive.com and follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/GRPBarton or Facebook at facebook.com/bartondeiters.5
[h=1]$1K loss for illegal sports gambler[/h]
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Preliminary hearing for men charged in connection with Putt Putt's Bar gambling
Barry Lott, center, wipes his face as he sits next to Mark Stouten, right, during their preliminary examination at the Kent County Courthouse on Monday, Sept. 21, 2015 in Grand Rapids. The men are facing charges in connection with an investigation of illegal gambling at Putt Putt's Bar in Grand Rapids. (Neil Blake | MLive.com)
Neil Blake | [email]nblake1@mlive.com[/email]
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By Barton Deiters | [email]bdeiters@mlive.com[/email]The Grand Rapids PressEmail the author | Follow on Twitter
on December 03, 2015 at 8:30 AM, updated December 03, 2015 at 12:05 PM
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Kevin Michael McKenneyKent County Jail GRAND RAPIDS, MI – No jail, no probation and a $1,000 fine was the result for one of a trio of men netted in what officials describe as a year-long, undercover investigation into bet-taking at a popular West Side bar.
Kent County Circuit Court Judge George Buth imposed the $1,000 fine on Kevin Michael McKenney, a 40-year-old who, along with 73-year-old Mark Irwin Stouten and 66-year-old Barry Barlett Lott, pleaded guilty in October to illegal sports betting that went on the first half of the year at Putt-Putt's Bar, 1148 W. Fulton St.
The three were originally charged with conspiracy to commit gambling, a five-year felony, as well as misdemeanor counts of gambling - taking bets, possession of gambling paraphernalia, and selling pools and registering bets.
The bar was raided in May as part of a joint investigation by the Grand Rapids Police Department and the Michigan Liquor Control Commission.
According to court records, officers received a tip that Lott allegedly ran the operation and frequently conducted business out of Putt Putt's. Police searched his financial records tied to an account at a federal credit union.
Stouten was charged as a repeat offender and has a previous gambling charge dating back four decades. The other two have no previous criminal record, according to court files.
During the police investigation, an undercover detective placed illegal bets with at least one suspect, search warrant records show.
Attorneys for the three argue what they were doing was no different than what is done at a majority of sports bars and is now available online offering payouts far higher than anything seen at Putt-Putt's.
McKenney was sentenced Wednesday, Dec, 2, while Lott and Stouten are scheduled to be sentenced next week.
E-mail Barton Deiters: bdeiters@mlive.com and follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/GRPBarton or Facebook at facebook.com/bartondeiters.5
