SC Men Fighting Poker Charges

Back in October of 2006 police raided a home outside of Charleston and cited 23 players that were playing a $20 dollar tournament.  At the time five men were charged and they are now going to have their preliminary trial on August 22nd where they will get their chance to fight the gambling charges that were levied against them.

All but Bob Chimento, Scott Richards, Michael Williamson, Jeremy Brestel, and John Taylor Willis plead guilty to the charges and paid fines between $154 dollars and $257 dollars.  The men are fighting the charges so they can hopefully change the 206 year old South Carolina law that makes it a crime to play games that use dice or cards.  This includes board games like Monopoly and card games like Bridge and Poker.

However the authorities aren't looking in homes for people playing bridge or monopoly.  So far authorities from Charleston County and two of the suburbs have filed charges nearly 90 times against people for playing poker in South Carolina in the last two years.

On August 22nd the five men will have a preliminary trial in Mouth Pleasant where they will try to get their charges dismissed.  If the charges aren't dropped they will then ask for a jury trial.

“Just the fact that in South Carolina you cannot play any type of game — not just cards — but you cannot play any game that involves the use of cards and dice, it makes it totally unenforceable straight across the board, which in turn makes it unconstitutional,” Chimento said.