Villarreal family pleads guilty in illegal gambling investigations
Written by Post Public Information Representative, Apr 17, 2019, Comments Off
Courtesy Yanira Deleon,
(Laredo, Texas)-The District Attorney’s Office reports that Hilda Guerra Villarreal, Raul Rene Villarreal, Rebecca Villarreal Lopez and Ruben Rene Villarreal have plead guilty in connection to illegal gambling investigations in Laredo and Zapata, Texas.
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.
The Villarreal family plead guilty today before Judge William Kirkendall at the 406th District Court. Hilda Villarreal plead guilty to 10 years probated for 10 years for money laundering, a first-degree felony. Raul Rene Villarreal plead guilty to one year probated for six months for keeping a gambling place, a class A misdemeanor. Rebecca Villarreal Lopez plead guilty to one year probated for one year for gambling promotion, a class A misdemeanor. Ruben Rene Villarreal also plead guilty to one year probated for six months to gambling promotion.
Sentencing for the defendants is scheduled for May 24, 2019 at 11:00 a.m., after a presentence investigation is conducted.
Investigations into illegal gambling operations will continue
