The Lucky Lady Casino is a small card room located less than 10 miles east of downtown San Diego. Though it’s not much larger than a typical Starbucks, the casino has been bringing in big-time money over the last several years.
It caught the attention of federal authorities.
This week the FBI and local police raided the casino after serving the owners with a search warrant. More than 100 FBI agents and San Diego police personnel were on scene.
After all the evidence was gathered, the FBI brought charges against 14 individuals. Nine have been apprehended, while five others, thought to be located in Canada and Thailand, remain at large.
The US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California says the men operated a sophisticated bookmaking ring that utilized the Lucky Lady Casino as a front for the illegal operation.
“This case is a classic example of how a legitimate business can be infiltrated and used to facilitate criminal activity by members of a criminal enterprise,” FBI Special Agent in Charge Eric Birnbaum said in a statement. “The FBI is committed to disrupting and dismantling criminal enterprises that seek to use legitimate businesses as a platform for their criminal activity.”
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