More charges, including a felony count, were filed Monday against a Twin Cities man who is accused of roaming Twin Cities-area casinos and playing slots for gamblers who paid to have their bets placed, then watched live on TikTok in hopes of striking it rich.
Blake C. Fitzgerald, 40, of Farmington, is now facing a felony charge in Goodhue County of instructing others to violate gambling laws along with three related gross misdemeanor counts. A conviction on the felony count could send Fitzgerald to prison, rather than jail or some other lesser form of detention.
Also Monday, additional gross misdemeanor illegal gambling counts were filed in Goodhue County against Fitzgerald's brother, Christopher J. Mattison, 34, of Warren, Minn.
In August, Fitzgerald was charged with three gross misdemeanors in connection with allegations he ran a remote bookie business for at least four months until January 2023 while at Mystic Lake Casino in the Scott County city of Prior Lake or Treasure Island Resort & Casino just outside of Red Wing in Goodhue County. Mattison was charged as well back in August.
Both men were charged by summons and declined to comment Monday to the Star Tribune about the latest round of charges. Fitzgerald is due on court on Wednesday, followed by Mattison on Thursday.
The new complaints note that a state investigator with the state Alcohol and Gambling Enforcement Division contacted Fitzgerald and Mattison in June about the initial charges. Mattison denied the allegations, while Fitzgerald asked the investigator for further specifics and then stopped responding to the agent.
Monday's criminal complaints not only cover in greater detail the allegations spelled out in the earlier charges, they also reveal that the brothers arranged bets for 81 people in that three-week period that totaled more than $48,000.
Bettors received back about a third of their money, either in winnings or refunds if the brothers ran out of time to get the wagers down, the complaints read.