05/11/2026
I did an earlier video on what I call the campaign industrial complex. This article by the times gives you an idea how this works locally. In my numerous campaigns for office, I never knew that you could pay for lunch from a campaign account. Seems like this is common practice here in NWI. I'm looking forward to learning who the clients of this gambling operation were. Maybe the wall of shame will grow at the Republican booth. Stay tuned.......
Thousands in political money flowed to, from NWI restaurant tied to alleged gambling ring
Dan Carden
Lake County's top law enforcement officer spent tens of thousands in campaign funds and taxpayer dollars at a Merrillville restaurant that federal prosecutors contend was a collection and distribution point for a portion of the proceeds of a long-running illegal gambling ring.
Sheriff Oscar Martinez Jr. spent at least $72,521.04 in campaign funds at Gino's Steakhouse over more than two dozen visits between 2022 and 2025, according to campaign finance reports on file at the Lake County Board of Elections and Voter Registration.
According to the records, Martinez hosted three campaign events at Gino's in 2025, six in 2024, 10 in 2023, and seven events in 2022 — the last year Martinez was on the ballot — including a single fundraiser that saw Martinez's campaign committee pay Gino's $29,796.
The sheriff's tabs at Gino's, which mostly range from $50 to $500, along with outlier charges for $2,000, $14,644, and $19,854, are classified as "meeting," "fundraiser," "campaign meet," and "meet and greet" in the documents.
Martinez also spent at least $3,394 in taxpayer money at Gino's in 2022 for food delivered to county police and sheriff's office staff working at the Lake County Fairgrounds, according to a Jan. 5, 2026, report by the State Board of Accounts that accused Martinez of misspending nearly $300,000 in public funds on pricey hotel rooms, golf outings, restaurants, alcohol and numerous other purchases not authorized by Indiana law.
Gino's Steakhouse was run by James "Jimmy the Greek" Gerodemos and his family. Gerodemos is accused of leading an illegal gambling ring from at least 2021 to 2026 that allowed bettors across the country to place wagers through websites and phone calls, often on credit, according to court documents.
An indictment in the case names Gerodemos among 22 defendants in the gambling ring, including several members of the Gerodemos family.
The nature of the relationship, if any, between Martinez and Gerodemos is unknown.
Martinez is not among the 22 individuals indicted last month in connection with the gambling ring.
Federal prosecutors assert the Gerodemos-led operation relied on a network of bookies and agents to collect money and pay winnings, including at Gerodemos' Gino’s Steakhouse and his Paragon restaurant in Hobart.
Paragon also is tied to disgraced former Lake County Sheriff John Buncich's 2017 federal bribery convictions connected to towing contracts, according to federal court records.
In a statement provided to The Times, Martinez said the allegations against Gerodemos came as a surprise when they were unsealed at the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana in Hammond.
"Gino's Steakhouse has long been known throughout the community as a popular restaurant and event venue. Like many elected officials, community leaders and residents, I attended events and occasionally held campaign functions there because of its reputation for quality food and service. There are several other restaurants in Lake County that elected officials also tend to frequent for meetings during breakfast, lunch or dinner," Martinez said.
"Any campaign-related expenditures associated with events held at the restaurant were properly reported in accordance with campaign finance laws, just as they would be for any other venue. Mr. Gerodemos, as a longtime business owner, was known to many people throughout Lake County, including public officials, business leaders and residents. Simply patronizing a local business does not imply knowledge of or involvement in any alleged criminal conduct."
Martinez's patronage at Gino's stands out, however. During the same four-year period, Democratic Lake County Prosecutor Bernard Carter spent just $2,720 in campaign funds for two meetings and a luncheon at Gino's, records show.
Lake Circuit Judge Marissa McDermott, a Democrat and the sole elected jurist on the county bench, reported spending a total of $157.80 across four visits to Gino's in 2022 — the most recent year she was up for election.
Records show Gerodemos also donated $1,000 to Martinez's campaign committee in August 2024, even though the Democrat won a second, four-year term as Lake County sheriff in 2022 and Martinez was ineligible to run for a third consecutive term due to state-imposed term limits.
Gerodemos also has contributed smaller individual donations to other political candidates.
For example, he donated $650 to Prosecutor Carter in 2023, $250 to unsuccessful Democratic Indiana House candidate Heather McCarthy in 2024 and $225 to the unsuccessful campaign of appointed state Sen. Dave Vinzant, D-Hobart, in 2024, according to the Indiana Election Division.
Gerodemos also provided $500 in 2022 to the unsuccessful U.S. Senate campaign of Democratic Hammond Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr. and $1,300 in 2015 to the unsuccessful Indiana attorney general campaign of former Lake Superior Judge Lorenzo Arredondo, records show.
McDermott has acknowledged the Senate campaign donation but also said he does not know or have a personal relationship with Gerodemos.
Gerodemos currently is in federal custody after he was denied pre-trial release following his indictment in the federal government's "Operation Porterhouse Parlay" case.
In addition to illegal gambling and other financial crimes, Gerodemos and his co-defendants are variously accused of using threats, harassment and intimidation to collect gambling debts, including repeated calls and messages and efforts to locate bettors and their family members.
