Latest news with #KurtStocks
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
3 behind El Dorado Hills-based gambling operation plead guilty in federal court
Three people, including two from the capital region, pleaded guilty in connection with an illicit gambling business, prosecutors announced Tuesday. Kurt Stocks, 49, and Heidi Edwards, 58, of El Dorado Hills — as well as James Mecham, 57, of Orem, Utah — had raked in about $14 million between 2012 and 2017 through a business operation called SweepsCoach. The managers through a series of firms 'engaged in and facilitated illegal gambling' featuring 'slot machine-style games' at internet cafes in California and Arizona, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney's Office in Sacramento. The businesses included such names as Abnom, Stuff About Games and Burkiworks — all based in El Dorado Hills, prosecutors said in the plea deal. Prosecutors said the defendants had marketed gaming operations in the two states and helped internet cafes set and maintain terminals that operated the games, which could be played for credits. The credits could be exchanged for money, making them illegal, authorities said. 'Undercover law enforcement operations at several internet cafes in California and Arizona confirmed the use and conduct of SweepsCoach games,' the U.S. Attorney's Office said. The IRS, the FBI, the California Bureau of Gambling Control and the state Franchise Tax Board all participated in the investigation. The trio was indicted in July 2022 with operating an illegal gambling business and nine other counts related to money laundering. Under the deal announced Tuesday, they pleaded guilty to operating an illegal gambling business; the money laundering counts were dismissed. 'We felt we received a fair resolution from the U.S. Attorney's Office,' said Thomas Johnson, a Sacramento-based attorney who represented Mecham. The trio, who face a maximum of five years in prison, were expected to be sentenced Oct. 21.
Yahoo
3 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
3 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.
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Legoland California building park's first indoor roller coaster
SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — Construction has begun on Legoland California's newest ride: the theme park's first-ever indoor roller coaster. The roller coaster is one part of a $90 million expansion project Legoland's parent company, Merlin Entertainment, is undertaking at its Southern California and Florida resorts to bring its attractions 'to new heights,' according to its announcement of the groundbreaking on Tuesday. For Legoland California, the new roller coaster will be the first to be built at the theme park in nearly two decades. The last roller coaster added to the Carlsbad park was the Coastersaurus, which opened in 2004 in Dino Island — now called Dino Valley. Dollywood parent company expands into Southern California, acquires Raging Waters, Castle Park The new attractions at both the California and Florida theme parks are expected to launch sometime in 2026, although an exact date has not been released. 'As we prepare to unveil this exciting new attraction designed, co-created and imagined by the amazing creative team at the LEGO Group and the unmatched talent of our Merlin Magic Makers, we hope the mystery and anticipation adds to the awesome thrills to come,' Merlin Entertainment's CEO Fiona Eastwood said in a statement. While Merlin Entertainment did not disclose details about the new roller coaster in its announcement, the company last year presented plans to the Carlsbad Planning Commission for the introduction of a new 2.38-acre land inside the park, called 'LEGO Galaxy.' The cornerstone of the proposed land, which would feature an intergalactic theme similar to that of Disneyland's 'Tomorrowland,' was an indoor rollercoaster housed inside a 44-foot-tall, 32,000-square-foot Lego-themed 'space port.' 'This isn't just a ride, it'll be an exploration unlike any other,' Legoland California Resort President Kurt Stocks said of the roller coaster. 'We're sparing no expense to deliver the most innovative, interactive and captivating experience possible.' For the project, Merlin Entertainment needed permission from the planning commission to raise the building height up to 45 feet from its existing maximum of 35 feet. Legoland California, Madame Tussauds Hollywood offer free tickets for first responders According to the proposal submitted to the commission, the new 'LEGO Galaxy' land would also have a smaller, space-themed lift and spin-style ride akin to SeaWorld San Diego's Riptide Rescue, as well as retail options, a children's play area and other interactive attractions. To make way for the new land, Legoland California informed the commission it would move its longstanding 'Driving School' and 'Junior Driving School' to the area currently occupied by the 'Fun Town Police' and 'Fire Academy' attractions. The driving school attractions were temporarily shut down at the end of last year in preparation of the move. At the time, the theme park said the two would reopen in the new location sometime in 2025. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
