Albany Stop-N-Shop owners indicted on racketeering charges

Law enforcement agents in Dougherty County have arrested three owners of the Stop-N-Shop gas station in Albany, Georgia. The Dougherty County District Attorney’s Office has announced that the owners have been indicted on charges of racketeering and money laundering.

WALB has the story.

Authorities arrested George Bagain and Melanie Bagain at their Albany home while Ayaz Ahmed was arrested inside the Stop-N-Shop. Police also searched two Lee County homes as well as the convenience store and seized boxes of documents along with several computers.

Police believe that the three individuals operated illegal gambling machines inside the store, and that they made more than $100,000 from the illegal machines which they then laundered. The store had been previously raided in April by the Sheriff’s Department which confiscated the gambling machines.

According to the indictment, the three laundered the illegal proceeds through the Sahi Corporation and used the proceeds to buy homes, cars and land in Lee, Dougherty, Henry and Calhoun County. The D.A., Gregory Edwards, suggested that some proceeds may have gone to crime organizations abroad.

The state has also filed a civil suit to seize bank accounts, properties, and vehicles that were allegedly purchased with the tainted funds.

If convicted under Georgia’s racketeering statute, commonly referred to as RICO, the three individuals would face five to 20 years in prison.