Tuesday, April 20, 1999

Temple's bingo profits probed

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Rabbi, others to see judge on May 7

BY TANYA BRICKING
The Cincinnati Enquirer

        Bingo was big business for Kneseth Israel Congregation in Roselawn.

        It was big enough for Ohio's attorney general's office to launch an investigation into an estimated $1 million of the synagogue's profits on instant pull-tab games.

        Rabbi Jacob Lustig, an Amberley Village man who has been the temple's leader for more than 20 years, has not been formally charged.

        But he and former bingo supervisors Ralph Lipsky of Amberley Village and Gerel Payne of Erlanger — as well as three others involved in bingo sales — are expected to appear in Hamilton County Common Pleas Court May 7 to discuss the case with Judge Fred Cartolano.

        Even though they have not been arrested, they could plead guilty to theft and gambling charges to avoid a grand jury hearing and facing indictments.

        None of the parties reached by The Enquirer would comment Monday.

        Attorney General Betty Montgomery's office, the Cincinnati Police Division's vice unit and the Hamilton County prosecutor's office acknowledged the yearlong investigation but declined to provide details.

        Prosecutor Mike Allen said plea negotiations are “ongoing.”

        Documents from the attorney general's office indi cate the synagogue, licensed by the state to operate charitable bingo games, reported a steady drop in bingo profits from 1994 through last year.

        The profit listed in 1994 was $100,500. That dwindled to $52,400 by 1996 and to $22,000 last year.

        The synagogue, at 1515 Section Road, sold instant tickets at its bingo hall, from storefronts and at a booth in North College Hill.

        A tip led to the investigation by police and the attorney general's charitable foundations section.

        Investigators in Cincinnati and Columbus spent 9,000 hours on the case, Cincinnati police spokesman Lt. Roger Wolf confirmed.

        It's an example of the profits and pitfalls of a game that started as something that drew members to synagogue halls and church basements for fellowship.

        Over the years, as jackpots grew bigger, bingo became a major money-maker for charities.

        Ohio estimates bingo generated $88 million, after expenses, for charities in 1997.

        Enquirer reporters Dan Horn and Karen Samples contributed to this report.