Crime News

Casino Bus Driver Arrested in Hellertown

Hellertown Police say they arrested Jun Ying Li, of Brooklyn, N.Y., for knowingly driving a casino bus that had displayed fraudulent International Fuel Tax Agreement (IFTA) stickers.

  A bus driver on his way to or from the Sands Bethlehem Resort Casino was arrested by Hellertown Police July 9, after it was discovered that the International Fuel Tax Agreement (IFTA) stickers displayed on the bus were fraudulent, borough police announced in a press release Friday. Police say Jun Ying Li, of the 600 block of 59th Street, Brooklyn, N.Y., was driving a casino bus for Global Bus Tours Inc. when it was stopped in the 1500 block of Main Street at 10:39am. "It was discovered that the bus was displaying fraudulent IFTA stickers, which (Li) was aware of," police said. After being taken into custody, police said he was arraigned before District Judge David Tidd on charges of Altered, Forged or Counterfeit Documents and Plates; …

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South Bethlehem will be Cooking on First Friday

The arts -- culinary, visual, musical ... and pugilistic -- will all be on display tonight in the SouthSide for First Friday.

  The SouthSide will be cooking tonight. The “Master of the Grill” is the theme of this month’s First Friday, the monthly celebration of arts and culture in the SouthSide Shopping and Arts District. Wrap’d Tight will be out grilling on its patio off of S. New Street while local musicians entertain. Over at Looper’s Grille & Bar, they’ll be trying out some new rib sauce flavors in preparation for Rib Fest in July. They’ll also be serving up fresh corn, grilled pound cake with chipotle chocolate sauce and grilled pineapple mojitos. If you are looking to put a song in your heart, head over to Godfrey Daniels to hear Dala, Juno nominees and winners of the 2010 Canadian Folk Music Award for Vocal Group of the Year, Amanda Walther and Sheila …

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Viewfinder

Ribbon Cut on New Sands Event Center

Bethlehem's new concert and event venue next to Sands Casino opens Wednesday night.

  About 100 guests and members of the media looked on Wednesday evening as the ribbon was cut just outside the arena in Visions Bar, opening the new Sands Event Center just before its first concert. Set adjacent to the Sands casino and hotel on the former Bethlehem Steel site, the new venue boasts 3,500 seats, with all of them 137 feet or less from the stage. The space was created by Vision Entertainment Group, which was credited by center representatives with it being “a world class entertainment venue.” Mayor John Callahan praised the new concert space and the people responsible for it, calling it “a huge investment in our city.” The added that 30 acts are already scheduled to appear at the event center, with more to come. Geoff Gordon, …

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Crime News

Sands Casino Pimp Pleads Guilty, Sentenced

Whitehall Township man who pimped call girls at the Sands gets to three to six months in Northampton County Prison.

  A Whitehall Township man was sentenced Thursday to at least three months in Northampton County Prison after pleading guilty to promoting prostitution at the Sands Bethlehem Casino, The Express Times reported. The Northampton County District Attorney dropped two of three counts of promoting prostitution against Joseph John Janis, 50, of 3036 Rosewood Place, in exchange for the plea. Judge Leonard Zito sentenced Johns to three to six months in prison and a year of probation. Janis was arrested by Bethlehem police during a prostitution sting at the casino, which netted seven arrests on Jan. 21. According to court records, Janis operated a prostitution business, advertised on the Internet as “At Your Pleasure.” Janis took telephone calls, …

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The Bethlehem Patch Poll

A Dollar and a Dream? Or a Sucker's Bet

With the Mega Millions lottery jackpot at a record-breaking $540 million, hordes of Pennsylvanians are "feeling lucky." But should they be?

With Friday night's Mega Millions jackpot now at a record $540 million, Pennsylvania Lottery desks and kiosks across the region are doing brisk business. Office lottery pools are swelling with member contributions. Did you buy a ticket? Are you excited? Hopeful? Well, good for you. Rich Smith of The Motley Fool thinks you're a sucker. "The truth is that getting rich from winning the lottery isn't just unlikely. It's (statistically) impossible," Smith writes. And he's not the only one. In fact, according to the folks at Bloomberg, Pennsylvania ranks ninth in the U.S. on the lottery "sucker index," which measures how much each state's residents spend on lottery tickets and compares that amount to how much they win. You'll be pleased to learn…

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Sands Eyes No. 2 Machine Shop for Renovation

Once the largest industrial building in the world, it could soon be home to outlet mall with 50 shops and restaurants.

Crime News

Alleged Casino Pimp Waives Preliminary Hearing

Charges of promoting prostitution against Whitehall Township man will move on to Northampton County Court.

  A Whitehall Township man accused of operating a prostitution ring that arranged meetings between call girls and clients at the Sands Bethlehem Casino waived his right to a preliminary hearing on Monday. Joseph John Janis, 50, of 3036 Rosewood Place, will face three counts of promoting prostitution, a third-class felony, in Northampton County Court. Janis and his attorney, Philip Lauer, were at the office of District Judge Patricia Romig-Passaro at the time a preliminary hearing was scheduled Monday, but elected to allow the charges to go on to the Court of Common Pleas, without contesting them. Janis is accused of operating “At Your Pleasure,” an Internet prostitution business, court records say. Janis allegedly took telephone calls, …

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Slots Play at Sands Goes Up in January

Sands' slots grossed 22.5 million; parent company touts positive 2011.

  Revenue from slots machine play at the Sands Bethlehem Casino increased by 13.6 percent this January over January 2011, according to figures released by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board Thursday. Slots at the Sands Bethlehem grossed $22.5 million last month, a significant increase over the $19.8 million earned in January 2011. The Sands had the second biggest increase in slots revenue in the state, following the SugarHouse Casino in Philadelphia, which saw its revenue go up more than 50 percent over a year earlier. The Parx Casino in Bensalem was the top slots machine earner in the state with $31.6 million in earnings. The Sands was second. Overall, slots machine revenue in Pennsylvania increased 7.4 percent over a year ago. Casino …

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Rosemary B

10:37 am on Friday, March 30, 2012

I'm not being narrow minded. I said I would be interested in the actual demographics, as in I would like to know the ACTUAL TRUTH to see if my guess is correct. That is not narrow minded, just a search for facts. My opinion is, If people are being supported by food stamps or Welfare or even unemployment then they have no business wasting their money at a casino.   more ›

Sands Purse Snatcher Says He Regretted Attempt

Fung tells police he apologized and helped 74-year-old woman up after knocking her down.

  A Hanover Township, Northampton County, man was arrested on charges he tried to snatch a purse from a 74-year-old woman in the parking deck at the Sands Bethlehem Casino in October. Nevillon Yonnick Fung, 22, of 1871 Mark Twain Circle, admitted to the attempted mugging after waiving his Miranda rights to Bethlehem Police on Thursday. He was charged with robbery, attempted robbery and harassment, arraigned before District Judge Patricia Romig-Passaro and committed to Northampton County Prison in lieu of $15,000 bail. According to the arrest affidavit, Fung told police that right before the October 13 incident, he had lost $900 playing black jack on the floor of the casino. He said he became stressed out and went into the parking deck and …

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