Internet cafe owner appears in court on gambling charges

Staff report

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The owner of an Internet cafe is facing up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine after police raided his business last month.

Adam M. Syed, 30, of Fairlawn pleaded not guilty to gambling charges in municipal court during an arraignment Tuesday. Syed was the owner of Belmont Sweeps, an Internet cafe located along the 3000 block of Belmont Avenue that was raided by Liberty police on Feb. 27.

Chief Richard Tisone said a summons to appear in court was sent to Syed after several telephone messages weren’t returned.

According to reports, police confiscated 32 electronic slot machines, about $2,700 in cash, two handguns and a knife during the raid.

Police said a two-week investigation yielded sufficient evidence of gambling after an informant notified police of gambling activity.

During the raid, police also arrested employees Amber Al Mhaiat, 27, of Warren, and Patricia A. Micochero, 46, of Akron.

Both were arraigned on charges of gambling and operating a gambling house at Belmont Sweeps.

Micochero, Al Mahaiat and Syed all were released on a $5,000 personal recognizance bond.

Micochero and Al Mahaiat are scheduled to appear in court April 17 for a pretrial hearing, while Syed’s next appearance is set for April 29.