Dymally Denies Link to Club That Was Raided
Former Los Angeles Democratic Rep. Mervyn Dymally denied a published report that he is an owner of a Virgin Islands nightclub that was raided by FBI agents, who seized illegal gambling equipment.
U.S. Customs agents in St. Croix alerted the FBI on May 14 after finding several roulette wheels, gaming tables and other equipment in boxes marked as furniture, the Virgin Islands Daily News reported. The goods were addressed to the Pirates of the Caribbean nightclub on St. Croix, it said.
The newspaper said club owners Robert and Vahag Petrossian told the FBI they planned to open a gambling school on the premises. The paper identified Dymally as the third owner of the club.
Dymally said Tuesday in Los Angeles that he has no financial interest in the club. “I was a consultant to the group,” he said.
The Petrossian brothers refused to speak to reporters.
The Virgin Islands legislature passed a law in 1995 permitting gambling at designated casinos on St. Croix, but has yet to receive a single license application.
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