A lawyer for Steven Sheldon on Westfield said he expects Sheldon will be proved innocent of all charges.
Steven Sheldon, co-owner of the closed Cafeno's Internet Cafe. The owner of the closed “Cafeno’s” Internet café in Chicopee is facing additional charges in connection with operating an illegal slot parlor, Attorney General Martha M. Coakley said.
The new indictments include allegations of falsifying state tax returns and illegal lottery advertising.
Steven Sheldon, 48, of Westfield, was indicted on Monday by a statewide grand jury on charges of aiding, assisting, procuring, counseling or advising a false return and advertising lottery tickets, Coakley's office said Thursday. The corporation, Cafeno’s Inc., faces the same charges.
Thomas Lesser, a lawyer for Sheldon, said Thursday that Sheldon did not falsify his tax returns and he expects that Sheldon will be proved innocent of all charges against him.
"This is a totally inappropriate set of indictments," Lesser said. "Mr. Sheldon received advice of counsel before opening. He notified the state police exactly how he intended to run his business. He operated openly for over a year and never received a suggestion from the Attorney General's office or from any law enforcement individual that anything he did, that any portion of the operation, was illegal."
The cafe at 76 Main St. closed a year ago after being raided by state police.
A spokeswoman for Coakley said no arraignment date is set for Sheldon on the new charges.
Attorney General Martha CoakleyIn January 2012, Sheldon, and his business partner Stephen Megliola, 42, of Longmeadow pleaded innocent in Hampden Superior Court to charges of organizing or promoting gambling services and operating an illegal lottery. Sheldon was also arraigned on charges of allowing lotteries in a building and the sale and advertising of lottery tickets. The same charges were lodged against their corporation.
On Beacon Hill, a bill to ban Internet slot cafes has remained stalled after a low-key public hearing on March 6. The bill is languishing despite being sponsored by two powerful politicians -- House Speaker Robert A. DeLeo and Coakley.
“This legislation is one more step we can take toward protecting consumers from these ‘cyber cafes’ which are really ‘cyber scams’ with no posted odds, minimum odds, or guarantee of payouts for patrons," Brad Puffer, a spokesman for Coakley, said in a statement on March 6.