HARRISBURG — Attorney General Dave Sunday announced that a former executive of the national game company, Pace-O-Matic, pleaded guilty to money laundering in connection with payoffs he received from individuals involved in the distribution and operation of gaming machines throughout Pennsylvania.
Ricky Goodling, 59, of Mechanicsburg, pleaded guilty Tuesday in Cumberland County Court to dealing in proceeds of unlawful activities, a first-degree felony.
Goodling will be sentenced on April 28.
The alleged crimes happened while Goodling, a retired Pennsylvania State Police corporal, was Director of National Compliance for Pace-O-Matic.
According to a joint investigation by Pennsylvania State Police and the Office of Attorney General, Goodling — while employed as the Director of National Compliance for Pace-O-Matic — accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars in payments from non-compliant distributors and operators instead of reporting the non-compliance. Those payoffs were then laundered through a fictitious company created by Goodling called Rest and Relaxation, LLC.
“The defendant pleaded guilty to a very serious charge and took accountability for his conduct, which was fueled by personal greed,” Attorney General Sunday said. “His actions contributed to the disorganized and problematic environment in which these games exist in the Commonwealth.”
The investigation was led by the Pennsylvania State Police, the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General, and the Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement.
Goodling also pleaded guilty Tuesday, in federal court, to tax crimes and will be sentenced at a later date.
The cases are being prosecuted by Senior Deputy Attorney General Erik Olsen and Chief Deputy Attorney General Adrian Shchuka.
