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State Wins Forfeiture Case Against Sweepstakes Owners
- Updated: July 12, 2013
D.A. Luis V. Saenz is leading the effort to shut down illegally operated eight-liner/sweepstakes businesses with the assistance of several County, State and Federal agencies. Photo: Cameron County District Attorney’s Office
A state district judge ruled in favor of the State Monday denying owners of a sweepstakes gambling business possession of property seized at a May Operation Bishop raid.
“This is a huge win for the State, because it further proves that no matter how much technology you use in an attempt to mask illegal gambling, it remains just that – illegal gambling,” District Attorney Luis V. Saenz said.
Owners of sweepstakes establishments attempted to argue that their gambling establishments were legal due to the technology utilized. However, they paid out large cash prizes comparable to illegal 8-liner establishments. Owners of the Longhorn Sweepstakes’ forfeited property were Antonio Cantu Longoria of Brownsville; NGOC Tri Nguyen of Keller, Texas; and Trifecta Dynamics of Austin, Texas.
Of the items seized were: 67 computers/monitors, one neon sign, one yellow dolly, one Samsung Galaxy Tab 2, one Emerson 32” LCD HD TV, two 42” televisions, one 47” television and $1,689 in U.S. currency.
Operation Bishop – the culmination of an 18-month criminal investigation of illegal gambling in Cameron County – raided the Longhorn Sweepstakes in Port Isabel after investigators found that owners were paying cash prizes to patrons greater than $5.
According to state law and the Attorney General, eight-liner and sweepstakes businesses that give cash prizes of $5 or more, even if some or all proceeds benefit a non-profit/charity, are deemed an illegal-gambling operation.
It is estimated that the eight-liner/sweepstakes industry generates at least $300 million annually. The money is known to leave the County and even Texas.
Operation Bishop is the first operation of its kind in terms of number of agencies working together to curtail what is known as a criminal epidemic in Cameron County.
Agencies and entities participating in Operation Bishop are: The Department of Homeland Security, FBI, DEA, Cameron County District Attorney’s Office, Cameron County Judge’s Office and Cameron County Emergency Management, Cameron County Sheriff’s Department, Cameron County Constable’s Office – Precinct 5, Brownsville PD, Port Isabel PD and San Benito PD.
