Date: August 29, 2022 Contact: newsroom@ci.irs.gov First Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle M. Baeppler announced that Steven Saris, of Canton, Ohio, was charged in an indictment with operating an illegal gambling business. The indictment alleges that from 2012 through 2018, the defendant, and others known and unknown to the Grand Jury, owned and operated Café 62, an illegal gambling business involving slot machines, in the Canton area. An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government's burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. If convicted, a sentence will be determined by the court after a review of factors unique to this case, including the defendant's prior criminal record, if any, the defendant's role in the offenses and the characteristics of the violation. In all cases, the sentence will not exceed the statutory maximum; in most cases, it will be less than the maximum. The investigation preceding the indictment was conducted by IRS Criminal Investigation (CI), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Ohio Casino and Gaming Commission and the Stark County Prosecutor's Office. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys David M. Toepfer and Robert J. Patton.
