An illegal gambling crackdown in Jacksonville leads to ten different locations across the city being permanently shut down.
Court documents name more than a dozen local people and companies or LLC’s involved in the gambling ring, which police said had been operating since at least 2021. Five people have been arrested on racketeering claims as a result.
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The court records shed light on why the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office served search warrants at several homes and businesses last week.
One neighbor who spoke to Action News Jax’s Robert Grant anonymously lives across the street from one of the raids.
“All day long. A lot of activity. A lot of in and out,” she said. “It was all day and to see all of his vehicles towed away — it was sad. I feel for the family.”
The raid was at the home of Ryan Strickland, one of the defendants named in the court filing. Legal documents show he was the main owner of two locations police described as a front for illegal gambling that was part of the larger 10 locations.