Latest news with #JamesMecham
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
El Dorado Hills residents admit to operating illegal gambling business at internet cafes
( — A Utah man and two El Dorado Hills residents pleaded guilty to operating illegal gambling operations at several locations across the United States, including in California, the Department of Justice announced Tuesday. Video Above: Lottery odds: What's more likely to happen than you winning? According to the DOJ, James Mecham, 57, of Orem, Utah; Kurt Stocks, 49, of El Dorado Hills; and Heidi Edwards, 58, of El Dorado Hills, helped set up gambling portals at various internet cafes for their business SweepsCoach. The games allowed users to play 'slot machine-style' games with the potential to win credits that could be redeemed for money. Cafes then deposited proceeds into a bank account controlled by the defendants. Between 2012 and 2017, roughly $14 million, $11 million of which were from operations in California and Arizona, were deposited into the defendants' accounts, the department said. The three defendants are scheduled to be sentenced in October and face up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CBS News
7 days ago
- Business
- CBS News
California-based gaming company operated as illegal gambling business, prosecutors say
Three people who California prosecutors say operated an illegal gambling business online have pleaded guilty in the case. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of California and Arizona announced a plea deal Tuesday against SweepsCoach business operators James Mecham, Kurt Stocks and Heidi Edwards. As detailed by prosecutors, the El Dorado Hills-based SweepsCoach business helped set up gaming terminals at internet cafes across Arizona and California. The games played like video slot machines, with players buying credits to play for the chance of possibly winning more credits. The credits could then be exchanged for money at the cafes. Investigators conducted undercover surveillance at the cafes while they were in operation, confirming that SweepsCoach games were being played. In total, investigators found that Mecham, Stocks and Edwards had accumulated $14 million from their illegal gambling games from 2012-2017. Tuesday's plea deal comes after a joint investigation by the IRS, FBI, California Franchise Tax Board, and California Department of Justice Bureau of Gambling Control along with the U.S. Attorney's Office. Mecham, Stocks and Edwards aren't scheduled to be sentenced in the case until October. They all face a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine each.
