10:01 PM EST on Monday, December 1, 2003

By The Associated Press

STATESVILLE, N.C. -- A Charlotte businessman who ran a high-stakes poker game and blackjack table out of a basement and the sheriff's deputy who provided him with protection were both sentenced to federal prison terms Monday.

Albert John Luisa, formerly a Mecklenburg County sheriff's deputy, was sentenced to five years in prison for pleading guilty to charges of racketeering, bribery, money laundering, trafficking in contraband cigarettes, possession of stolen goods and the sale of weapons to convicted felons.

Jimmy Kakavitsas, owner of the Skyland Restaurant diner and prominent in Charlotte's Greek community, was sentenced to two years, nine months by U.S. District Judge Lacy Thornburg.

Luisa received a reduced sentence because of cooperation he has provided the government in its investigation of activities at "The Basement," which authorities have estimated brought in gambling profits of at least 500-thousand dollars annually.