Poker den owner enters plea

Alaska -- NO CONTEST: Former Chugiak vice principal charged with felony.

The former Chugiak school administrator who prosecutors say ran an illicit poker game off Bogard Road pleaded no contest Friday to one felony count of promoting gambling.

James McDowell, 33, of Palmer offered brief answers to questions from Judge Eric Smith during the hearing in Superior Court.

In exchange for McDowell's plea, assistant district attorney Richard Payne dismissed five other counts of promoting gambling, possessing gambling records, possessing gambling devices and furnishing alcohol to a gambling enterprise.

McDowell, a former Chugiak High School vice principal in charge of activities, and his attorney, Josh Fannon, could not be reached for comment. A phone message left with Fannon was not returned Friday.

Payne said one personal computer seized by Alaska State Troopers during their investigation would be returned to McDowell; seven other computers will not be returned.

Those computers were Anchorage School District property, Payne said. He did not explain in court how the computers were used in the gambling operation. He declined to elaborate further when reached by phone afterward.

As part of the agreement, "we will not file any theft charges in relationship to those computers," Payne said.

McDowell was put on leave by the district after his arrest. Last month, Mark Mew, head of school district security, said McDowell no longer worked for the district.

Alaska State Troopers with assistance from Wasilla and Palmer police early April 15 raided a small blue building on Merciful Circle, just off Bogard.

Prosecutors eventually charged McDowell and seven others -- Andrew Conn, 26; Eric Dubois, 29; Jeremy Ferreira, 29; Dennis Grogan, 24; Samuel Henry, 30; Hollie Metzler, 27; and Mohammad Hereimi, 30 -- with promoting gambling, possessing gambling records, possessing gambling devices and furnishing alcohol to a gambling enterprise.

All but Hereimi have pleaded no contest to charges of promoting or attempting to promote gambling. He is expected to enter a no contest plea Nov. 9 to attempting to promote gambling.

All but McDowell and Henry pleaded to misdemeanor charges. Those two were charged with felonies because McDowell owned the gambling den and Henry ran it, Payne said.

All seven who have entered pleas have received or will receive suspended sentences, according to court records. That means they'll serve no jail time so long as they do not violate terms of the plea deals or commit new crimes.

McDowell risks two years in prison and a $5,000 fine should he violate probation, Payne said in court. McDowell is next due in court March 14 for sentencing.

The card house operated through word of mouth, fliers and a poker Web site, Payne said previously. Old players had to vouch for new ones. Security cameras, including one in infrared, watched the outside of the building.

Payne said that the place mainly held card games and that a couple of factors set it apart from a friendly home game. First, the house took a cut of each pot. Second, it wasn't a family dwelling -- the exclusive purpose of the building was to hold card games.

Troopers said at the time that they waited until the early morning to raid the house to avoid catching too many players at the table -- they were after the organizers.

Prosecutor Suzanne Powell in October said 11 people were at the tables when police arrived. The business, she said, brought in a significant amount of money.


Anchorage Daily News

News Added: 04 November, 2007

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