2 men arrested in Weston gambling raid

Men accused of holding poker games at Weston smoke shop

WESTON, Fla. – Two men bonded out of jail Thursday after they were arrested in a gambling raid at a smoke shop in Weston Wednesday night.

The Broward Sheriff's Office Crime Suppression Unit raided the cigar bar, Smoke on the Water, after a weeks-long investigation.

The owner of the shop, Daniel Frederick Husley, 38, and Michael Kierab McGuinness, 60, who is accused of running the games, were arrested on a charge of keeping gambling houses; a third-degree felony.

Investigators said they found money, poker chips and other items involving gambling at the shop.

According to an arrest affidavit, the men were running an illegal poker business inside the shop. But the men claim it was all for charity.

"I didn't do anything wrong," McGuinness told Local 10 News reporter Michael Seiden. "(I was) taken off and embarrassed in front of all these people. I'm going to sue the county."

But before he files a lawsuit, McGuinness will have to face a judge.

"I work for Bar Poker Pros. That's a charity company. These are charity games," McGuinness said.

"So you're going to jail for charity?" Seiden asked.

"I don't know why I'm going to jail. I didn't do anything," McGuinness said.

Husley also spoke to Local 10 News and said that there was no illegal operation going on inside his store.

"Can you tell us why there's an illegal gambling operation going on here?" Seiden asked.

"There is not," Husley said. 

Undercover agents began investigating the shop after receiving numerous complaints from residents in Weston.

"The poker operation they're running at the cigar bar is not allowed," an undercover detective said. "They have no licensing for a card room. There's nothing legal about what they were doing."

Detectives said some deputies went undercover during the operation and took photos of the suspects in action.

Authorities call the incident an ongoing investigation.

"I can't go into the details of the actual dollar amount gambled in this game as it varies, but I can assure you that we wouldn't waste our time with a small game," the undercover detective said.   

As far as the poker players, deputies said none will be arrested as the operation was only targeting the owner and man accused of running the games.

Follow Michael Seiden on Twitter @SeidenLocal10

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About the Author:

Amanda Batchelor is the Digital Executive Producer for Local10.com.