Family pleads to lesser charges in illegal video poker operation in White Oak, North Huntingdon

The patriarch of a White Oak family and his three children were sentenced Monday for charges they oversaw more than 100 illegal video poker machines in North Huntingdon and the surrounding area.

Robert Biros, 85, pleaded no contest to a felony charge of operating a corrupt organization while his two sons and daughter pleaded guilty to summary counts of disorderly conduct in connection with the gaming business state agents said the family controlled for more four decades.

“They’ve been doing this since the 1970s,” said Deputy Attorney General Mark Serge. “This is the black market side of it.”

At the time of the arrests in July 2018, Attorney General Josh Shapiro said the Biros gambling business generated millions of dollars in revenue.

According to court records, the Biros family business placed illegal gaming machines in more than 20 bars, taverns and social clubs in and around White Oak and North Huntingdon. State agents raided the Biros family residence and seized $144,000 in cash.

As part of the plea bargain, the family agreed to forfeit gaming machines and $124,000 in cash from the money seized at the home and another $13,200 found in the illegal video units that were confiscated by police. Prosecutors agreed to return $20,000 to the family.

Robert Biros was sentenced by Westmoreland County Judge Meagan Bilik-DeFazio to serve six months on probation. As part of the deal with prosecutors, the remaining 18 counts against Biros were dismissed.

“I am here to get it over with,” Biros said in court.

His three children, John Biros, 58, of White Oak; Christine Biros, 57, of White Oak; and Andrew Biros, 54, of Greensburg, each were ordered to pay a $300 fine.

Serge said the charge against the adult children was based on the allegation they were involved with the business. Prosecutors dismissed more serious charges, including racketeering, conspiracy and operating gambling devices.

Biros family associate Alfred John McCauley Jr., 65, of Pittsburgh also pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct and was fined $300. Prosecutors originally said McCauley was instrumental in an attempt to have the Biros family included in bid to open a legal casino in Lawrence County. That casino was never built.

The investigation into the Biros family started in 2011 and was the subject to a grand jury probe from which the charges originated.

While gambling is legal in Pennsylvania, the operation of unlicensed video slot and poker machines such as those tied to the Biros family is problematic, according to state prosecutors.

“The difference between these machines and those at casinos is the payouts. Vendors can adjust the odds so you never win. There is no regulation,” Serge said.