The District Attorney’s Office reports that Hilda Guerra Villarreal, Raul Rene Villarreal, Rebecca Villarreal López, and Ruben Rene Villarreal have plead guilty in connection to illegal gambling investigations in Laredo and Zapata, Texas.
Four search warrants were executed in Zapata on January 5, 2018 as part of a nine-month illegal gambling investigation 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 in Zapata.
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 amount, approximately $1.5 million dollars in cash was seized only from the residence of Hilda Guerra Villarreal. The cash at the residence of Hilda Guerra Villarreal, was discovered concealed in safes, lockers, boxes, suitcases, and various containers. Several PVC pipes were also 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 López Villarreal in Laredo.
Four members of the Villarreal family plead guilty today before Judge William Kirkendall at the 406th District Court. Hilda Villarreal plead guilty to a lesser included offense of conspiracy to launder the proceeds of criminal activity, a first-degree felony. She was sentenced to 10-year probated term. Raul Rene Villarreal plead guilty to the lesser included offense of keeping a gambling place, a class A misdemeanor, and was sentenced to one-year probated for six months. Rebecca Villarreal López plead guilty to gambling promotion, a class A misdemeanor, and was sentenced to one year probated for one year. Ruben Rene Villarreal also plead guilty to gambling promotion and was sentenced to one year probated for six months.
Sentencing for the defendants is scheduled for May 24, 2019 at 11:00 a.m., after a pre-sentence investigation is conducted.
Investigations into illegal gambling operations will continue.
