MICHIGAN CITY — Police said the arrest of five men, including a former city councilman, has broken up a longtime gambling ring.
Among the people charged is David J. Biela, who served on the City Council in Michigan City more than 20 years ago and more recently ran unsuccessfully for City Council and the LaPorte County Council.
Biela, 71, is charged in LaPorte Superior Court 1 with five counts of promoting professional gambling and corrupt business influence, all felonies.
The same charges were also leveled against James Liverman, Gregory Czizek, Stanley Mazur and John Greene, all of Michigan City.
The investigation into illegal sports wagering on professional and college football games headed up by the Indiana Gaming Commission began in 2010 and was revived in 2013 when information developed about "bookies" in the Michigan City area, according to court documents.
The ongoing probe showed the operation consisted of Biela allegedly printing parlay cards listing the upcoming games for the week and the odds for those matchups.
According to authorities, the cards were picked up from Biela at his print shop on Kentucky Street on the city's west side or at his home in Michigan City and distributed to bars and restaurants for customers to place bets.
In October, police said Biela told investigators he printed more than 3,000 parlay cards weekly strictly for the four other men charged with being part of the ring and had done so for a long time.
The investigation also indicates businesses receiving the cards were later paid a visit by ring members to receive more parlay cards for upcoming games and collect the payouts, according to court documents.
According to the investigation, officers serving a search warrant at Biela's home in October heard phones constantly ringing from individuals wanting to place bets, and undercover Gaming Commission officers late in 2014 purchased parlay cards at multiple establishments.
Numerous items related to illegal gambling like ledgers, betting records and bank bags were recovered from the properties of ring members, police said.
Rob Townsend, supervisor for investigators with the Indiana Gaming Commission, declined to provide further details because the cases are pending in court.
