WARREN Man is found guilty of running gambling house

The judge said only a very small amount of the profit went to the school.
By PEGGY SINKOVICH
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
WARREN -- A municipal court judge has found a 70-year-old Canfield man who co-owned an instant bingo parlor guilty of operating a gambling house.
Judge Thomas Gysegem released his decision on the case against Alfred Pincione during a hearing Friday. Defense attorney Michael Rossi tried the case before the judge instead of a jury Jan. 25.
The judge sentenced Pincione to 180 days in the county jail, but suspended 150 of the days and placed Pincione on five years' probation and fined him $1,000.
Stayed the sentence: Rossi asked the judge to stay the execution of the sentence pending the outcome of an appeal. The judge granted Rossi's request.
Pincione, who said he is sorry the whole thing happened, is free on a $10,000 bond.
Rossi said he is planning to appeal the case to the 11th District Court of Appeals in the next 30 days.
Police said Pincione and Gene Core, 70, of Niles, were operating an illegal gambling operation at Elm Road Instant Bingo, 2140 Elm Road, from July 12 to Aug. 15.
Core is facing a felony charge of operating a gambling house. His case is pending in Trumbull County Common Pleas Court.
Previous conviction: Police said Core is facing a felony charge because he has been previously convicted of a gambling charge. The charge against Pincione was a misdemeanor.
Rossi said Pincione and Core were operating the Elm Road Instant Bingo as a way to raise money for the Immaculate Conception School, a private parochial school in Youngstown.
Rossi noted that Pincione's daughter teaches at the school.
According to court documents, Bob Sferra, principal of the school, testified during the Jan. 25 hearing that he received $400 from Elm Road Instant Bingo on Aug. 5.
"This court finds that the defendant was operating a gambling house from July 12 through Aug. 15," Gysegem's ruling states. "During the first 14 days of operation alone, defendant cleared over $10,600."
The ruling also states that the "only a minuscule $400 donation" was given to the school.
"This court finds defendant's conduct to be a purposeful scheme with which to line his pockets with the ill-gotten gains of gambling proceeds garnered at the expense of innocent low-income minority schoolchildren in the care of a financially strapped religious institution in an economically distressed area," the judge wrote.
"Defendant's actions are without excuse and are utterly defenseless under Ohio law."
Police chief's assessment: Howland Police Chief Steve Lamantia said he went to the instant bingo parlor Aug. 15 and found four video machines and instant bingo rip-off tickets. The chief said the vending machines had a slot in which currency from $1 to $100 could be placed.
The chief noted that there was a "cash out" button on the machine that when pushed would cause a card to be produced from the machine that read "redeem immediately."
The card would also have a money amount printed on it. The person playing the game would give the card to an attendant who would then pay the person the amount on the card.