Gambling figure pleads guilty

Wednesday, March 12, 2003 | 9:28 a.m.

PITTSBURGH -- A figure long associated with gambling in Pennsylvania was back in federal court to plead guilty to running a gambling operation that netted him as much as $2.5 million annually, according to prosecutors.

Adolph "Junior" Williams, 69, of Scott Township, on Monday acknowledged his role as organizer of an illegal gambling racket and also pleaded guilty to charges of violating federal tax laws.

Williams was one of six siblings prosecuted eight years ago on charges they ran an illegal gambling operation. He was sentenced to a short prison term in 1996; his brother Eugene also was sentenced to prison.

Williams, however, continued to run the gambling business throughout his "indictment, hearings, appeals, pleas and imprisonment," according to IRS agent Jean Seneway.

A man who is cooperating with federal investigators as part of a plea deal said he kept records, collected money and turned profits over to Williams throughout that period, according to the IRS.