The 12th Judicial Circuit Court State Attorney deferred the prosecution of a Bradenton Beach woman arrested for illegally operating a gaming room.
Under an 18-month pretrial contract between the state and Brenda Cays, 69, the owner of the Oasis Lounge, 6006 Manatee Ave. W., Bradenton, is required to forfeit $3,641 seized in an October 2014 raid.
Cays, who managed the bar, and two bartenders working at the Oasis were arrested following an undercover investigation by the Alcohol Beverages and Tobacco Division of the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation. The state seized seven slot machines, $3,559 in cash from the machines and $82 in winnings from the undercover agents.
After a January trial was set, the prosecutor and Cays entered the contract, requiring probation reporting, 100 hours of public service, alcohol/drug abuse treatment and payments of $300 for prosecution and investigative costs, as well as drug testing and state fees.
If the contract terms are not met, Cays again will face criminal prosecution.
In an April 2015 consent order, the DBPR imposed a $1,750 civil penalty against Cays’ company, M&M of Bradenton Inc., which holds the liquor license for the bar.