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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 16, 1998
Upstate Bingo Promoters Arrested In Crackdown
GREENVILLE -- The South Carolina Department of Revenue continued its crackdown on
illegal bingo operations in the state with today =s arrest of three Upstate bingo promoters.
Ramon Ashy Sr. and his son, Ramon Ashy Jr., and Ziad Saad, all of Greenville, were each
charged with conducting an illegal lottery by selling bingo cards for more than they were
worth.
Ramon Ashy Sr., age 50, of 1200 Woodruff Road, is the promoter for Greenville Lodge No.
858 BPOE, South Carolina Association for Blind Athletes and Ramon J. Ashy Camp
Opportunity. The games are played at Pleasantburg Bingo, Anderson Mall Bingo and Buncombe
Bingo. He is charged with seven counts of conducting an illegal lottery. If convicted, he
could be sentenced to seven years in jail plus a fine.
Ashy and his son, Ramon Ashy Jr., 28, of 3 Prestige Court, are officers of Ashy
International which promotes bingo for Transitions Inc. charity. That game is played at
Pleasantburg Bingo #2. Ashy Jr. is charged with one count of conducting an illegal lottery
and faces one year in jail if convicted.
Saad, 42, of 4 Castlewood Drive, is the promoter of the Order of AHEPA Textile Chapter,
which conducts games at Augusta Road Bingo. Saad is charged with three counts of
conducting an illegal lottery. He faces up to three years in jail.
If convicted of the crimes, the promoters will no longer be able to conduct bingo in
South Carolina. State law prohibits any involvement with bingo by anyone who has been
convicted of crimes, especially those related to bingo.
The arrests follow a five-month Department of Revenue investigation into bingo
operations in Anderson, Greenville and Spartanburg counties, areas which have a high
concentration of bingo games. Investigators working undercover and other witnesses
observed the Ashys and Saad selling cards for more than the face value. Taxes are paid
based on the face value of the card. By charging more than face value, the promoters are
evading taxes, depriving the charities of funds and deceiving their customers. If bingo is
not conducted according to law, the promoter is considered to be conducting an illegal
lottery.
A 1992 investigation into bingo by the Department of Revenue revealed that it was
largely a fraudulent operation, conducted for the promoter =s profit, cheating both the
charity sponsors and the people playing the games. The investigation showed that less than
1% of the proceeds promoters made from bingo was being returned to charities.
New laws which went into effect in October 1997, tightened the state =s bingo laws with the
Department of Revenue collecting bingo tax at the time bingo cards are sold to promoters.
The department now is responsible for returning a portion of the taxes collected to the
charities.
With the new laws, the Department of Revenue has been cracking down on promoters who
conduct illegal games and fraudulent charities.
More arrests are expected, perhaps as early as today.
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