Wednesday, January 22, 2014
GIRARD
A trial for a man facing gambling charges in Girard Municipal Court will be set in April, though the case could be dismissed.
Adam Syed’s case involving misdemeanor charges could be dismissed, said Girard Municipal Judge Jeffrey Adler, if Syed goes to prison on a felony conviction from charges in Medina County over Internet cafes he owned there.
Syed’s case in Medina was set for trial Jan. 13 but was postponed. A new trial date has not been set, said Medina County Prosecutor Dean Holman.
Syed was charged after police raided his Internet cafe on Belmont Avenue in Liberty in February 2013.
A status hearing on the Girard Municipal Court case was postponed in October after Syed’s attorney requested additional evidence from the prosecution.
A status hearing takes place a few weeks before a trial to ensure attorneys have everything they need to proceed, said a spokeswoman in the Girard prosecutor’s office.
Syed has asked for a jury trial.
Internet cafe proponents say their prizes are predetermined, so the element of chance in gambling is not there.
Liberty police said, however, that they gathered enough evidence during a two-week investigation to press charges of running an illegal gambling operation, according to Vindicator files.
Liberty police Capt. Toby Meloro said Syed’s businesses “are shut down everywhere,” and the gaming machines from the Belmont Avenue business would be confiscated and destroyed if he’s convicted.