Aces Wired Incorporated Officials to Plead Guilty in Video Slots Machine Case

A 1 year investigation into alleged gaming practices at Aces Wired Incorporated has ended with the group's head stating that he will plead guilty to a 3rd degree felony charge of tampering with evidence to protect employees who innocently conducted business on the group's behalf.

Aces Wired is based in Dallas, Texas. The group's founder and board member, 72 year-old Gordon Graves, pleaded guilty to a 3rd degree felony charge of tampering with evidence and the group has agreed to forfeit $1 million in assets. The attorney general's office said that three other Aces Wired officers-Jeremy Tyra, Knowles Cornwell and Kenneth Griffith-will plead guilty to a Class A misdemeanor charges of hindering apprehension.

Fourteen employees working for Aces Wired Incorporated, which has locations in Forth Worth, Corpus Christi and San Antonio, were named in a charge after Nueces County law enforcers and the state started investigating the group's "Amusement With Prize" games. The attorney general stated on August 17th, 2009 that the Texas Attorney General previously confiscated ninety gaming devices including eight-liner slot machines.

The machines look like and play like slot machines. Aces Wired Incorporated officials said that the group contends that the gaming practices are legal despite officers settling with the state.

Graves said that they believed that the Amusement With Prize electronic system was made to follow with the spirit of Texas' gaming laws. But the Attorney General and the Texas prosecutors felt differently. Graves said that as the head of the company, he accepts the responsibility and want to protect the staff who innocently conducted business on behalf of the group.

The company's officials said that the games awarded players with prize points that are only redeemable for non-monetary merchandise prizes, which they believed follow the parameters of the state law.

Monday, 07 September 2009
Cindy Alfonso