Three people have been arrested and charged with conducting an illegal gambling operation in a Manassas laundromat. Prince William County detectives seized 30 slot machines and an undisclosed amount of money from the location. The laundromat is located near Balls Ford Road and Sudley Road.
The Prince William County Police Department reported that the illegal casino was discovered while officers were investigating an unrelated incident. When they entered The Washing Company at 7393 Miramar Dr., they observed a false wall open up that was connected to an adjoining vacant business. They saw several gambling machines inside the apparently vacant business.
Detectives then obtained search warrants and recovered the gambling machines and money, along with other evidence. They also discovered video screens at the front desk of the laundromat which showed camera footage of the room where the gambling was taking place.
The men arrested in connection with the operation are Nasir Jafri, 50, of Chantilly; Joel Enrique Rivera-Rivera, 46, of Bristow; and Giovanni Alfredo Recalde, 38, of Reston. They were charged with conducting an illegal gambling operation, a Class 6 felony, and illegal possession of a gambling device, a Class 1 misdemeanor.
All three suspects have been released ahead of upcoming court hearings. Jafri was arrested on the same charges last April, but the felony charge was dropped, the Prince Williams Times reported. He pleaded guilty to the misdemeanor charge and paid a fine, according to court records.
Feature image courtesy Belish/stock.adobe.com
