A Schuylkill County-based amusement company has pleaded guilty to a felony charge stemming from the installation and operation of hundreds of illegal video gambling machines across Pennsylvania.
Attorney General Dave Sunday announced Friday that Deibler Brothers Novelty Company, based in Schuylkill County, entered a guilty plea to corrupt organizations, a first-degree felony, in Schuylkill County Court of Common Pleas.
A Schuylkill County judge sentenced the company to a term of probation and ordered the forfeiture of $3 million in cash and assets to the Commonwealth.
Multi-Year Investigation
The charges, filed in 2024, followed a collaborative investigation between the Pennsylvania State Police and the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General. The case included a presentment from the 50th Statewide Investigating Grand Jury.
According to the Attorney General’s Office, Deibler Brothers Novelty Company installed illegal gambling devices in more than a dozen counties throughout Pennsylvania. The machines were typically disguised with signage suggesting they were legal.
“This company was warned time and time again, and continued to snub its nose at state regulations by flooding Pennsylvania counties with illegal gambling machines,” Attorney General Sunday said. “This plea resolution secures a substantial forfeiture of assets to the Commonwealth, and is the second conviction in recent days against offenders contributing to the disorganized environment of illegal video gaming in Pennsylvania.”
Ownership and Related Guilty Plea
Owners of Deibler Brothers Novelty, Arthur Deibler, Donald Deibler, and Joel Ney, were affiliated with Ricky Goodling, a retired Pennsylvania State Police corporal and former Director of National Compliance for Pace-O-Matic.
Goodling pleaded guilty last week to money laundering charges.
Agencies Involved
The case was the result of a multi-year criminal investigation led by:
- Pennsylvania State Police
- Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General’s Organized Crime Section
- Asset Forfeiture and Money Laundering sections
- Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement
The case was prosecuted by Senior Deputy Attorney General Erik Olsen and Chief Deputy Attorney General Adrian Shchuka.