A grand jury has returned an indictment against five individuals who were apprehended at an FBI raid on a horse track.
The location was Wilder’s La Catedral Arena, a popular Idaho venue for horseracing enthusiasts, and had been subject to an FBI and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) investigation.
FBI and DHS raid Wilder La Catedral Arena in Idaho
According to coverage from the Idaho Statesman, the raid on La Catedral has divided the local community and led to tension among protestors, which was described by the attending authorities as an illegal horse gambling operation.
The FBI and DHS arrested five individuals at the time of the raid, and they were charged in relation to the prohibition of illegal gambling business.
The action would comprise “approximately 200 law enforcement personnel from federal, state, and local agencies, targeting an illegal gambling operation in Wilder, Idaho,” said the FBI.
Those arrested and charged included Ivan Tellez, 37, Samuel Bejarano Colin, 37, Dayana Fajardo, 39, Alejandro Torres Estrada, 56, and Cesar Iniguez Orozco, 45.
As we reported, the raid caused public outcry and was criticized heavily for excessive force, including reports of zip tied individuals and rubber bullets being fired near children.
“Reports suggesting young children were zip-tied or hit with rubber bullets during the October 19 FBI-led operation in Wilder are completely false,” said the communication from the FBI.
FBI and local authority press event cancelled
Robert Bohls, special agent in charge, and Canyon County Sheriff Kieran Donahue were due to hold a press conference, but decided not to go forward with the process.
Reports also suggested protesting crowds had gathered at the location for the press event and could have had an impact on the event being cancelled, according to the Idaho-based news outlet.
“ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) division was present as part of the broader federal team to process individuals who were found to have potential immigration violations during the course of the investigation.”
A spokesperson for the FBI, Sandra Barker, added via email to further the depth of the role of DHS and FBI agents attending La Caldera.
“Their presence,” said Brown, “was limited to that specific federal responsibility and was separate from the criminal gambling investigation being led by the FBI.”
What is evident is that there are serious charges as a result of the arrests, which include charges of transmission of wagering information to Bejarano Colin and Tellez.
According to the Idaho news provider, Bejarano Colin was the La Caldera bookmaker and administrator, and Tellez owned the land. The FBI has disputed Tellez’s license to operate a bookmaking operation at the location.
Featured image: Canyon County Sheriff Department
The post Idaho FBI raid leads to grand jury indictment of five in gambling case appeared first on ReadWrite.
This articles is written by : Nermeen Nabil Khear Abdelmalak
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