BY NOLAN CLAY nclay@opubco.com
A card dealer has been put on probation for a tax crime involving his tips from Teddy Mitchell's illegal poker games.
Michael Lee McCullah, 35, pleaded guilty in Oklahoma City federal court in July to a misdemeanor.
He admitted he filed a false federal income tax return because he failed to report as income about $7,000 in tips made in 2007.
Tuesday, U.S. District Judge David Russell put him on probation for a year, fined him $1,000 and ordered him to pay $884 in restitution to the Internal Revenue Service.
The judge dismissed a felony illegal gambling count against McCullah.
McCullah told the judge Tuesday that he was sorry for what he had done.
“I've tried to make things right from day one,” he said.
McCullah has worked at different Oklahoma casinos since 2007, but became unemployed after being indicted last year because his gaming license was suspended, his attorney wrote in a sentencing memo.