Stanley Combs allegedly had a nice little business in West Carollton, Ohio. He owned and operated a Fraternal Order of Orioles lodge. But it appears the side business he supposedly ran was the real money maker. He ran poker tournaments. Ohio allows charity poker tournaments (that are properly registered). There was just one rather large problem: In Mr. Combs’ poker tournaments, he was allegedly the charity. And that’s just not that charitable.
Mr. Combs’ activities attracted the attention of 13 Ohio police agencies. That’s quite a bit of unwanted attention when you’re allegedly carrying on an illegal activity. Adding to Mr. Combs’ troubles is that he appears to have ‘forgotten’ to claim all of the income from the poker tournaments on his tax returns. That got the IRS interested.
Mr. Combs has been indicted on one count of running an illegal gambling business and four counts of tax evasion. If convicted, he could spend several years in prison.