Ex-Councilor Pleads Not Guilty To Gambling Charges

A former Fall River city councilor has pleaded not guilty to operating an illegal gambling enterprise at a pair of Internet cafes he owns in the region.

Councilor Leo Pelletier and three co-defendants were released on personal recognizance at their arraignments Tuesday in Superior Court on gambling charges.

Pelletier and his corporation are charged with organizing or promoting gambling services, operating an illegal lottery, allowing lotteries in a building and the sale and advertising of lottery tickets.

Prosecutors say Pelletier's businesses in Fairhaven and Fall River were really illegal slot parlors, which didn't have posted odds, minimum odds or guarantee payouts for customers.

Police raided the businesses in March as part of a statewide investigation into whether the activity constitutes illegal gambling.

He says the businesses were legal.