By Alabama Public Radio
Troy, AL – Alabama Attorney General Troy King made his debut as a prosecutor and got a conviction against a Troy man for operating an illegal gambling hall. District Judge William Hightower convicted Ray Grant of one count of possessing gambling records and 61 counts of possessing gambling devices. He sentenced Grant to four months in jail and fined him $124,000. A second man charged in the case, Jerry Lindsey, was acquitted. Lindsey was the landlord of the building where the gambling was located, but the judge ruled the prosecution never proved he was a partner in the operation. King's background, meanwhile, was in civil law before Governor Riley appointed him Attorney General in March. King says he chose this case for his first as a prosecutor because he wanted to send a message that the days of illegal gambling are numbered in Alabama.