A woman has been arraigned in connection with illegal gambling case in Milford
MILFORD — A local woman who is accused of selling beer illegally as part of a gambling ring was arraigned Friday in Milford District Court.Zoila Castro, 24, pleaded not guilty to one count of illegally selling liquor. She is due back in court on Oct. 27 for a pretrial conference.Luis Loja-Caguana, 43, of 21 Franklin St., was also scheduled to be arraigned on Friday, but that did not happen. A new arraignment date has not been set. Loja-Caguana is charged with being a keeper of a disorderly home; placing and registering bets; and having a house of gaming.Earlier: Police say backyard volleyball tournaments in Milford were front for gamblingMilford police, as part of a task force with the Building Department and Board of Health that was created Milford's three-member Select Board, began an investigation into illegal gambling in town several months ago.What police found, they said, was that people were hosting volleyball tournaments in their backyards, but these events were actually fronts
MILFORD — A local woman who is accused of selling beer illegally as part of a gambling ring was arraigned Friday in Milford District Court.
Zoila Castro, 24, pleaded not guilty to one count of illegally selling liquor. She is due back in court on Oct. 27 for a pretrial conference.
Luis Loja-Caguana, 43, of 21 Franklin St., was also scheduled to be arraigned on Friday, but that did not happen. A new arraignment date has not been set. Loja-Caguana is charged with being a keeper of a disorderly home; placing and registering bets; and having a house of gaming.
Earlier: Police say backyard volleyball tournaments in Milford were front for gambling
Milford police, as part of a task force with the Building Department and Board of Health that was created Milford's three-member Select Board, began an investigation into illegal gambling in town several months ago.
What police found, they said, was that people were hosting volleyball tournaments in their backyards, but these events were actually fronts for illegal gambling. Police said people would pave over their backyards and set up volleyball nets — but they also set up table gambling, ran concession stands and illegally sold liquor and cigarettes.
Search warrant uncovers evidence of gambling operation
Neighbors, authorities said, complained of the noise, the large number of illegally parked cars and stadium-style lighting.
Police said when they served a search warrant at Loja-Caguana's home, they found about $10,000 in gambling proceeds.
Police said there are several other similar gambling operations happening in town and they all remain under investigation. They estimated more than $1 million a year was being made with the illegal gambling.
No one else has been charged, but police said they expect several others to eventually face charges, as well as potential penalties from the Board of Health and the Building Department.
Norman Miller can be reached at 508-626-3823 or [email protected]. For up-to-date public safety news, follow him on Twitter @Norman_MillerMW or on Facebook at facebook.com/NormanMillerCrime.
This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: Milford woman arraigned for illegally selling liquor at gambling ring
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