Video-Poker Political Donor Pleads Guilty

Press excerpt:
RALEIGH - David "Ricky" Godwin, a frequent contributor to some of North Carolina's most prominent officeholders, has pleaded guilty to federal charges stemming from his video poker business and agreed to cooperate with a probe of political ties to illegal gambling.

Click Here for a list of Godwin-related donations to state politics.

Click Here for a complaint from Democracy North Carolina concerning other video-poker donations. (This takes you to the home page of the complaint, with links to the complaint itself, exhibits, and charts.)

Below, in alphabetical order, are links to stories related to the indictment and guilty plea of David "Ricky" Godwin and his son, David "Ricky" Godwin Jr. Federal authorities seized $5 million and more than 300 video-poker machines from the two men, who headed the second-largest video-poker operation in the state. The Godwins are also major political contributors, part of a network of donors who use illegal profits from video-poker operations to buy protection and gain regulations that help their industry survive.

Associated Press <http://www.herald-sun.com/state/6-525002.html>

Charlotte Observer <http://www.charlotte.com/mld/charlotte/news/9736080.htm>

Raleigh News & Observer <http://newsobserver.com/news/story/1664090p-7897391c.html>

Winston-Salem Journal  <www.journalnow.com>

WRAL.com - Raleigh,NC,USA <http://www.wral.com/news/3753385/detail.html>

Follow-up Stories/Editorials

Charlotte Observer, Sept. 24, 2004
Sheriff: Poker taints politics, Pendergraph predicts more gambling industry verdicts http://www.charlotte.com/mld/observer/news/local/9746597.htm

News & Observer, Sept. 24, 2004
Under the Dome, 2nd item: Candidates disown gifts
http://newsobserver.com/news/story/1667575p-7902450c.html