An online gambling investigation has led to the arrest of a community activist and former city council candidate.
Charges of four counts of money laundering and two counts of gambling have been brought against them. The person in question is Quarla Blackwell, 51 years old.
Allegedly using Facebook, she had been running an illegal online casino, as revealed by investigators.
Kinston police took Blackwell into custody while she was at home. No bond has been posted for her. The police have shared that the investigation is still not over.
Following the arrest, the following message was posted on her account: “As long as I’ve been playing on these fish tables now it’s a crime.”
The Illegal Games
In the warrant, the descriptions of the games can be found. They function in the form of a fish game that is server-based. These players make bets or credits after which fish and other objects would appear on the screen and would be shot at with a variety of weapons and projectiles.
Alongside that, people could also use money or credits in order to play an online game equivalent to virtual slots.
The warrants that have been issued described how she had been spreading the name of the server-based online games.
Blackwell’s Past
During the November municipal election, Blackwell attempted to land a seat on the city council of Kinston.
This is not the first time the activist has been charged with crimes, as back in September 2025, she was faced with perjury and false swearing charges.
Following this Blackwell turned herself in and was later released, she was released on an unsecured bond.
On the Blackwell candidacy filed for the Kinston City Council, she had lied that her rights had been restored at the beginning of the year 2025; however, according to police, the actual year when that will happen is 2028.
The detective had concluded that Blackwell hadn’t understood the period during which the probation would stick. Blackwell claimed that she had found irregularities and attempted to file a protest aimed at getting another election.
A meeting of the State Board of Elections denied her claims.