LANSING, Mich. — A Muskegon couple has been convicted of felony charges for owning and operating three unlicensed gambling operations.
Bruce Zitka, 69, and his wife, 54-year-old Susan Zitka, were each convicted of three counts of operating a casino without a license and three counts of using a computer to commit a crime. Both are punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
The charges were filed in 2016 after an investigation determined the couple owned and operated three unlicensed casinos: Fast Lane, Lucky Mouse and the Landing Strip.
Using business and bank records, investigators found the businesses grossed nearly $1 million in revenue in 2015, but the Zitkas wrote most of it off and claimed little in taxes.
A statement from Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel says illegal gambling operations rob the state’s public schools of important tax revenue.
Bruce Zitka is a former member of the Orchard View Schools Board of Education, which he resigned from in July 2018.
A sentencing hearing is scheduled for June 12.