HARRISBURG, PA — A former top executive at national gaming company Pace-O-Matic has pleaded guilty to money laundering tied to a sprawling payoff scheme involving illegal gaming machines across Pennsylvania, state officials announced Tuesday.
Attorney General Dave Sunday said Ricky Goodling, 59, of Mechanicsburg, pleaded guilty in Cumberland County Court to dealing in proceeds of unlawful activities, a first-degree felony. Goodling is scheduled to be sentenced on April 28.
Prosecutors said the crimes occurred while Goodling, a retired Pennsylvania State Police corporal, served as Pace-O-Matic’s Director of National Compliance — a role intended to ensure distributors and operators followed state law. Instead, investigators said, Goodling accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars in payments from non-compliant machine distributors and operators in exchange for looking the other way.
According to a joint investigation by the Pennsylvania State Police and the Office of Attorney General, those payments were funneled through a fictitious company created by Goodling, Rest and Relaxation, LLC, in an effort to conceal their source.
“The defendant pleaded guilty to a very serious charge and took accountability for his conduct, which was fueled by personal greed,” Sunday said. “His actions contributed to the disorganized and problematic environment in which these games exist in the Commonwealth.”
Authorities said the scheme undermined enforcement efforts in an already controversial and loosely regulated gaming market, allowing illegal or non-compliant machines to continue operating while Goodling personally profited.
The investigation was led by the Pennsylvania State Police, the Office of Attorney General, and the Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement.
Goodling also pleaded guilty Tuesday in federal court to tax-related crimes stemming from the same conduct and will be sentenced in that case at a later date.
The state cases are being prosecuted by Senior Deputy Attorney General Erik Olsen and Chief Deputy Attorney General Adrian Shchuka.
For the latest news on everything happening in Chester County and the surrounding area, be sure to follow MyChesCo on Google News and MSN.