Suspect seeking justice
The focus of a $24m RICO lawsuit involving a casino in Sumter County, Florida that allegedly preyed on senior citizens, has filed a lawsuit seeking to reclaim items seized from her during a traffic stop.
CEO of IL Villagio Senior Entertainment Center in Lady Lake, Rima Ray, filed the suit Monday at St. Johns County Circuit Court in Florida.
wants to reclaim $340,872, a 1kg gold-colored bar
Ray, referred to in police reports as ‘her’ despite appearing as a balding, bearded man in media images and allegedly born a woman, wants to reclaim $340,872, a 1kg gold-colored bar, and other personal items.
Alleged mastermind of a major illegal Florida gambling operation that laundered millions of USD, Ray is also claiming back the USB flash drive and finances notebook seized from her when St. Johns County Sheriff’s deputies pulled her Maserati over on July 2.
Belize casino angle
Reports give no reason why the cops stopped Ray outside her St. Augustine home, just two weeks before she was arrested for the alleged $24m racket.
According to the St John Citizen, however, Ray appeared jittery to the deputies yet consented to a vehicle search which revealed the cash and gold in a backpack.
The CEO then allegedly gave the cops conflicting statements about the origin of the cash, “first saying it was from a casino sale in Belize,” and then from a state liquidation firm.
she’s referred to as “Remington Ray.”
Ray’s arrest caught the attention of national media in the Central American country, where she’s referred to as “Remington Ray.” According to Greater Belize Media, Ray was the owner of Caribi Bleu Casino in San Pedro when a news investigation revealed a slot machine at the casino dispensed US currency, leading to a police investigation.
According to GBM, Ray swiftly removed the ATM and, besides attending money laundering training and promising not to use the illegal cash dispenser in Belize again, didn’t incur any penalties.
Belize media has, unsurprisingly, questioned if there might be a link between Carib Bleu and Ray’s alleged Florida casino racket.
Legal crossfire
Just after Ray’s arrest, Belize’s Ministry of Finance revoked the gaming license for Caribi Bleu Casino/GMK Sky Limited, ordered all operations to shutter, and warned the public to not engage with either of the linked firms.
While Ray’s RICO case is ongoing back in the US, it didn’t stop her demanding the immediate return of her cash, gold bar, plus legal fees and court costs.
The CEO’s attorney Kelly Mathis accuses authorities of failing to comply with the Florida Contraband Forfeiture Act, which typically requires a seizing agency “to seek a probable-cause determination within 10 business days of the seizure” and to communicate the right to an adversarial preliminary hearing.
Ray’s suit claims authorities took no such action and therefore holding onto her cash and other possessions is unlawful.
