Supervisor Suspended In Baltimore Gambling Probe
BALTIMORE (AP) -- Baltimore officials have suspended the supervisor of 13 city workers facing gambling charges after officials say they were found drinking and shooting dice at a transportation department shop during work hours.
Officials say they broke up a regular "payday" gambling game last week after a tipster alerted the city's inspector general.
Supervisor Frank Amonica, who was not present, was suspended without pay Monday, but a department spokeswoman declined to give a reason. Police say Amonica was released without being charged.
The workers, part of the unit that sets up for festivals and fairs, were charged with misdemeanor gambling offenses and suspended without pay. One worker is charged with assaulting an investigator. The group includes six men with criminal convictions, but officials say background checks weren't required for the low-ranking jobs.
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
