Four Arrested in Katy Poker Room Raid: Prosecutors Allege Illegal Rake, Say Money-Laundering Charges Could Follow
Harris County authorities raided a poker room in the Houston area of Harris County, Texas, on the evening of Thursday, November 12: Harris County Sheriff's Office deputies executed a search warrant at Katy Poker, on the Katy Freeway near New Hope Lane in Katy, and arrested four people, with Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare on scene for a news conference.
Prosecutors said the four arrested were not players but people operating the establishment, and all four are charged with engaging in organized criminal activity. Customers at the tables were escorted out and are not accused of any wrongdoing. The names of those arrested have not been released, and as of Thursday evening's news conference the search of the premises had not been completed and officials had not said what, if anything, was seized.
The allegation centers on the "rake": prosecutors say the room was illegally taking a cut from each pot. Sheriff's Office Captain Mike Santos said investigators had been looking at the room for about a year. Teare said money-laundering charges could follow as investigators trace the room's bank accounts and financial records.
It was the second poker-room operation involving the District Attorney's Office in three weeks. On October 22, Houston police shut down the nearby 101 Poker Club, arresting four people and seizing more than $118,000. Teare said his office is investigating other poker rooms in the county and that the crackdown on illegally raking rooms will continue.
(Source: Harris County District Attorney's Office)
Source: Harris County District Attorney's Office
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：位于休斯顿的哈里斯县1910年法院大楼。照片：Patrick Feller，CC BY 2.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / The Harris County 1910 Courthouse in Houston, Texas. Photo: Patrick Feller, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
