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FORT MYERS, Fla. (Gambling911.com) - Lee County detectives and state gaming officials dismantled a massive illegal gambling network this week after executing coordinated search warrants across Florida and Pennsylvania that netted nearly $1.6 million in assets and led to 10 arrests.
Five Illegal Gambling Arcades Targeted, One Residence in PA Searched
Five local arcades, private residences, and bank accounts, were targeted as part of the operation. Four of the five businesses were located in Fort Myers with one other in Bonita Springs.
Undercover operations, surveillance, and financial analysis revealed an extensive racketeering and money laundering ring operating across Lee County and extending into Mercer, Pennsylvania, a town approximately 60 miles outside of Pittsburgh and 70 miles east of Akron, Ohio.
The joint operation resulted in the recovery or identification of substantial illicit assets connected to the network, totaling $1,589,149 in seized cash, gold, and frozen accounts.
Investigators seized 239 illegal slot machines, including $30,250 in cash recovered directly from machines inside Sneaky Pete's Lucky 7 Arcade and 777 Arcade.
A search of a home in Mercer, Pennsylvania, yielded a large safe containing high-value jewelry and a substantial amount of U.S. currency linked to the Florida arcades, according to officials.
Deputies seized 10 vehicles during the raid:
2017 Bentley Continental
2017 BMW 650i
2025 BMW i4
2025 Mercedes GLE
2017 Cadillac CTS
2018 Cadillac Escalade
2026 Cadillac Escalade
2022 Ford F-250
2011 Nissan Armada
2017 Nissan Altima
Authorities also seized $715,272 in currency, $661,454 in gold coins and bars, $383,573 in frozen bank assets, high-value purses, jewelry, and targeted two residences for civil forfeiture.
Law enforcement officers arrested 10 individuals connected to the ownership, financing, management, and operation of the illegal gambling sites:
"This is what happens when law enforcement agencies come together with one mission and refuse to back down," Sheriff Carmine Marceno said. "Our strong partnership with the Florida Gaming Control Commission was instrumental in bringing this operation to the point of enforcement. Together, we followed the money, seized hundreds of illegal slot machines, and targeted the financial assets connected to this operation. We didn't just target machines; we went after the people, the money, and the infrastructure investigators uncovered. Let this be a clear message: if you exploit our community for criminal profit, we will investigate, we will pursue the evidence, and we will work with our partners to hold those responsible accountable."
"These arrests send a clear message to criminals that illegal gambling will not be tolerated in Florida: We will find you, take your illegal slot machines and assets, and put you in jail," Florida Gaming Control Commission Executive Director Alana Zimmer said.
As of Thursday, October 29, 2026, eight of the 10 individuals arrested in connection with an illegal gambling arcade investigation in the Fort Myers area have been publicly identified. Among those arrested are three generations of the same family: a grandmother, her daughter and her granddaughter.
The individuals charged are:
1. Ronald Longo
2. Stamena Gacevic
3. William Holman
4. Angela Vittitoe
5. Dijela Ivezaj
6. Debra Wolovlek
7. Dennis Martin
8. Melissa Olarte
Two additional individuals were arrested, but their names have not yet been publicly released.
Longo, 75, (pictured above) was booked in Lee County. The charges cover allegedly keeping a gambling establishment, possessing multiple slot machines, two counts of money laundering involving transactions between $20,000 and $100,000, and a conspiracy charge tied to allegedly acquiring or maintaining property through racketeering.
Gacevic, 48, (pictured above) was booked in Lee County. Her booking lists eight alleged charges tied to illegal gambling operations. Five of them relate to allegedly manufacturing, owning, storing, or possessing slot machines, two involve allegedly acting as an agent or employee of an illegal gambling establishment, and one alleges conspiracy to acquire or maintain property through racketeering.
The Gambling Probes and Raids Continue Throughout Florida
Englewood: Three gambling establishments shut down on September 29 · Sarasota County - Authorities executed simultaneous warrants at three establishments on North Indiana Avenue in Englewood, seizing 164 allegedly illegal slot machines.
The Sarasota County Sheriff's Office identified the addresses as 180, 624 and 10 North Indiana Avenue. The Florida Gaming Control Commission assisted in the operation.
Sarasota: Two Lockwood Ridge Road arcades raided - August 26 · Sarasota County - Deputies seized 76 slot machines from two businesses, including 48 at Surf's Up, 6394 North Lockwood Ridge Road, and 28 at another location at 3503 North Lockwood Ridge Road.
Authorities reported misdemeanor charges against identified employees and referred potential gambling-house charges for prosecutorial review.
Operation Sunset Stakes resulted in 11 arrests across Lee and Collier counties announced June 10 with $294K in proceeds seized. 11 individuals were also arrested.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced the results of this multi-day enforcement effort, conducted with local sheriffs and the Florida Gaming Control Commission.
At the time, the attorney general's office said that statewide enforcement during 2026 had already resulted in 3,114 seized machines, $1.7 million in seized proceeds and 81 arrests. Those were cumulative figures as of June, not totals for Operation Sunset Stakes alone.
A series of raids were carried out on illegal gambling businesses throughout Naples and the Manatee County area near Tampa during the months of April and May.
