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Different law enforcement agencies enter the Oaks Club in Emeryville, Calif. during a raid that...
FBI agents assisted by other federal, state and local law enforcement agencies fanned out across the Bay Area on Wednesday morning in a series of raids involving organized gangs, gambling, loan sharking and money laundering.
The FBI in conjunction with the U.S. attorney's office, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the IRS and the state Justice Department's Bureau of Gambling Control was executing arrest and search warrants with the help of local law enforcement agencies.
Authorities raided more than dozen locations throughout the Bay Area, including the Oaks Card Club in Emeryville and Artichoke Joe's in San Bruno. Authorities had arrest warrants for more than a dozen people. It is believed some arrests have been made.
Authorities were looking for people, documents and other evidence related to illegal activities. The FBI and other agencies had been doing this investigation for about two years.
One of those present at the Oaks Card Club when the raid happened was Don Ramos, 35, of South San Francisco, who said he came there with a friend who wanted to gamble and also to get the free breakfast.
Ramos, who said it was his first time at the club, estimated there were about 200 people present when dozens of FBI agents and police officers, some carrying assault rifles, came in just after 6 a.m.
"They were saying they had search warrants to search the place, but they did not say why," Ramos said.
He said that all the people inside, employees and guests alike, were searched by authorities and that they there were not allowed to leave until their identities were confirmed and it was determined they had no outstanding warrants.
Ramos said he did not see anyone arrested.
Ramos said he never expected anything like this to happen on his first visit to the club.
"It's a shocking experience. I won't forget March 2," he said, adding that he does not plan to return to the club.
We will bring you updates as more information becomes available.
My son has had a gambling addiction for sometime. He has been to oaks club casino san pablo and casino1 as well as many out of the area. I went with him once to casino san pablo to play holdem. When i was called for my seat at the table, they had opened a new table. I went to set down next to the dealer, and she told me no, you can't set hear because you smoke. I thought to myself, what difference does that make, you can't smoke in the casino card room anyway. Two others tried to seat there, and she refused them also. then a young asia came and sat right down in that chair and no words were even exchanged. I don't even need to tell that he won the first six hands, after the fifth hand I was boiling, and on the six hand I gathered my chips and said you can't tell me you don't have house players! I haven't been back since. I told my son what had happened but to no avale. He has been cheated out of over $50,000.00 From these card clubs At one of them, I m not sure which one, but one of them in emeryville he won the bad beat jackpot, and they refused to pay him because they had a card missing from the deck.But the real clincher was the card was right near the dealers feet! Come on what does it take to realize you have been cheated! I guess alot, when your addicted.
ReplyDeletei will never forget march 3rd. when fbi raided my house and took my dad (hung tieu), it was a very shocking experience and i appreciate your honesty about this case, unlike the news. my father is out of jail after 10 days and we are working to get my uncle out (coung mach binh tieu).
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