Police hit jackpot in illegal gambling bust
Dozens of people were arrested during an illegal gambling bust in Fayetteville over the weekend.
Posted — Updated
Officers received a complaint in March about a gambling house operating at 407-A Festus Ave. Friday evening, members of the Narcotics Vice Suppression Unit, the Special Projects Unit and the Emergency Response Team served a gambling search warrant at the house.
The officers charged 39 patrons, many of them Fort Bragg soldiers, with illegal gambling.
In addition to the gambling charges, patron John Preston Melvin, 27, was charged with trafficking opium and heroin, possession of cocaine and possession of marijuana.
The owner of the house, Christian Patrick Lusardi, 36, was charged with gambling and illegal alcohol sales. His mother, Diana Lusardi, was charged with illegal gambling.
Officers seized between $6,000 and $7,000 from Lusardi at the Festus Avenue house and an additional $3,000 to $4,000 from his Lullwater Drive residence, they said.
• Credits
Copyright 2023 by Capitol Broadcasting Company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
