Multiple arrests have been made following the bust of a large-scale illegal gambling and money laundering ring along Florida’s southeast coast. The arrests are part of “Operation Fools Treasure,” a years-long investigation conducted by the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office.

The investigation began in 2022 when the Sheriff’s Office’s Money Laundering Unit spotted several businesses operating illegal gambling houses equipped with Las Vegas-style slot machines that offered cash prizes. Florida law prohibits these machines outside of regulated facilities like pari-mutuels and certain tribal gaming establishments.

Total four locations in West Palm Beach, Fort Pierce, Vero Beach and Zephyrhills were linked to these illegal gambling operations. And, two Miami-based businesses were also identified as suppliers of slot machines to these illegal establishments.

The investigation, involving multiple state and local law enforcement agencies, resulted in nine search warrants and five arrest warrants. As per court records, several businesses, bank accounts and ATMs within the establishments were used for the money laundering of the proceeds of the illegal gambling ring. The investigators also uncovered large amount of cash deposits into these accounts, exceeding $763,000 between 20 October 2022 and 19 October 2023.

Taking to Twitter, the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s office wrote, “PBSO’s Narcotics Division, in partnership with other state and local agencies, has been investigating illegal gambling establishments operating outside of regulated facilities in Palm Beach County and beyond. Through extensive efforts, multiple businesses, including VIP Sweepstakes (West Palm Beach), Treasure Hunters Arcade (Fort Pierce), and others, were linked to unlawful slot machines.”

Two suspects, Ritesh Patel (33) and Nova Revez Roffey (41), were arrested in Palm Beach County on charges including conspiracy to commit money laundering, keeping a gambling house, conducting an unlawful lottery and unlawful possession of slot machine devices. Another two suspects — Eric David Silverstein and Justin Earl Silverstein, the alleged owners of the companies that supplied the illegal slot machines, were arrested in Miami-Dade.

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