Alabama Resident Arrested and Charged with Bribery and Gambling Conspiracy

WASHINGTON—An Alabama man was arrested today on charges of conspiracy, federal programs bribery, and operating an illegal gambling business, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.

An indictment filed in the Northern District of Alabama and unsealed today charges Robert E. Taylor Jr., 41, of Warrior, Alabama, with conspiring to bribe and bribing a public official in order to protect his interest in an illegal gambling business. According to the indictment, from approximately November 2010 to approximately April 2011, Taylor and several others operated an illegal gambling business in the city of Kimberly, Alabama, approximately 20 miles north of Birmingham, by placing numerous video gambling machines in private residences in and around the city.

The indictment further alleges that Taylor conspired with eight other individuals to expand, protect, and conceal the illegal gambling business, including by offering and paying bribes to Kimberly’s mayor, a public official. In exchange for more than a dozen cash payments over the course of 15 weeks totaling $4,000, the mayor was expected to ensure that law enforcement officers from Kimberly and the surrounding area did not interfere with the illegal gambling operation. In addition, the mayor was expected to notify a member of the conspiracy if Kimberly or any neighboring jurisdictions received complaints or tips regarding the illegal gambling business.

The indictment reveals, however, that the mayor of Kimberly was cooperating with the FBI throughout the entire period of the investigation.

An indictment is merely an accusation, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.

This case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorneys Anthony J. Phillips and Richard B. Evans of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section and was investigated by the FBI.