Chattanooga, TN–A former mayor of South Pittsburg, Tenn., and an associate were sentenced in Chattanooga, Tenn., for managing an illegal gambling business, Justice Department officials said today.
Former South Pittsburg Mayor James Michael Killian, 56, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Curtis L. Collier in the Eastern District of Tennessee to serve six months in prison, followed by 12 months of home confinement. In addition to his prison term, Killian was sentenced to serve two years of supervised release and ordered to pay a fine of $30,000. His associate in the gambling operation, Robert Barry Cole, 53, of South Pittsburg, was sentenced to serve three months in prison, followed by six months of home confinement. He will serve two years of supervised release and was ordered to pay a $3,000 fine.
Killian was mayor of South Pittsburg from 2005 until 2012. During that time, he conducted a gambling operation that involved video gambling machines located at a convenience store he owned in South Pittsburg. Killian also managed an illegal lottery, in which bettors placed illegal bets on legal state lotteries. In addition, Killian ran an illegal sports betting ring in partnership with Cole. Cole received sports bets, collected wagers and paid successful bettors their winnings, and Killian and Cole split the proceeds of the operation.
