Villarreal family makes initial court appearance
Written by Post Public Information Representative, Dec 13, 2018, Comments Off
Courtesy Yanira Deleon,
(Laredo, Texas)-The District Attorney’s Office reports that the Villarreal family in Zapata, Texas involved in illegal gambling investigations appeared before court for an arraignment.
On Monday, December 10, 2018, Hilda Guerra Villarreal, Raul Rene Villarreal, and Rebecca Villarreal Lopez appeared before Special Judge William Kirkendall in the 49th District Court in Zapata County, Texas for arraignment. The three defendants were indicted by a Grand Jury for the 49th Judicial District Court in Zapata County on September 26, 2018.
On January 5, 2018, four search warrants were executed in Zapata, Texas as part of a nine-month illegal gambling investigations conducted by the Texas Department of Public Safety Criminal Investigations Division, the Laredo Police Department, the District Attorney’s Office for the 49th Judicial District (Webb and Zapata County), and the Border Prosecution Unit, Region 2. The search warrants were executed at the following locations: “Gold Mine” Game Room, 2132 U. S. Hwy. 83, Zapata, Texas; “Magic Spins” Game Room, 3002 N. U. S. Hwy. 83, Zapata, Texas; “Lucky Spins” Game Room, 503 East Street, Falcon, Texas and the residence of Hilda Guerra Villarreal at 1406 U. S. Hwy. 83, Zapata, Texas.
During the course of the execution of the warrants, a total of $1.76 million dollars in cash was seized from the locations. Of that total, approximately $1.5 million dollars in cash was seized only from the residence of Hilda Guerra Villarreal.
More particularly, at the residence of Hilda Guerra Villarreal, the cash was discovered hidden and concealed in safes, lockers, boxes, suitcases, and various containers. Furthermore, several “PVC” pipes were discovered containing cash. Five hundred and forty six (546) gambling machines were seized along with facilities to manufacture, modify, and fabricate “8-liner machines. As to the cash seized, a civil forfeiture action is presently pending in Zapata County. Simultaneously with the execution of the four search warrants in Zapata County, search warrants were also executed at various Villarreal gambling establishments and at the residence of Rebecca Lopez Villarreal in Laredo, Webb County, Texas.
Hilda Guerra Villarreal was indicted for keeping a gambling place in connection to money laundering, engaging in organized criminal activity in connection to money laundering and engaging in organized criminal activity in connection to gambling promotion. Rebecca Villarreal Lopez and Raul Rene Villarreal were both charged with engaging in organized criminal activity in connection to money laundering and engaging in organized criminal activity in relation to gambling promotion.
The three defendants are presently scheduled to appear for a pre-trial hearing on January 22, 2019 in Zapata County. Additionally, Rebecca Villarreal Lopez is also scheduled to appear in the 406th District Court on the same date in Webb County on a related case.
