A bizarre story surrounding “first-degree” money laundering and “organized criminal activity” has come out of the Texas city, Galveston. Six women, all between the ages of 53 and 65, have been charged with various crimes, mainly related to do with the illegal gambling establishment, “Mardi Gras,” that they were running.
Police seized 81 gambling machines, alongside $42,449 in cash from within the game room. However, Nancy Herndon, who was found to be the mastermind behind the gambling ring, was found to be harbouring $1.52 million in cash. The Galveston County Sheriff even thanked the teller, Jurnee Taylor, for counting the cash.
Maria Anaya, 58, is still being looked for, as she’s listed as having an active arrest warrant. The location that was being used, 1601 Dickinson Ave, Dickinson, is a series of offices and warehouses.
According to the Galveston County Sheriff, the arrest was part of the Organized Crime Task Force. This included contributions and work from the “Galveston County Sheriff’s Office, League City Police Department, Dickinson Police Department, and La Marque Police Department. The Galveston County District Attorney’s Office, along with the Sheriff’s Office Major Crimes Unit, Crime Scene Unit, and Crime Reduction Unit, also provided critical assistance throughout this investigation.”
Gambling ring busts on the rise in the US
Another case in Texas just this week saw 22 individuals detained by police. As gambling becomes ever more prevalent in the United States, there’s been an uptick in illegal gambling rooms. We’ve previously reported on a San Francisco drug bust finding gambling machines on site. Cape Coral police, also in the last week, seized over $500,000 in a raid, and at the top of August, nearly 250 slot machines were confiscated in Florida.
Texas has quite typical gambling laws for the US, allowing for casino gaming in tribe run establishments. Sports gambling is also illegal in Texas, despite football being king in the state. In fact, Texas is one of the most strict in the US when it comes to gambling laws, with not much wiggle room outside of a few allotted allowances.
Featured image: Galveston Police
