In July, a Texas business owner was sentenced to multiple months in jail for their role in a fraudulent gaming scheme. Per a recent article, late last month, U.S. District Judge Drew B. Tipton sentenced Dominga “Penny” Ledesma, 53, of Raymondville, to 18 months in federal prison for her role in a scheme involving electronic game machines. Raymondville, a rural Willacy County town in the Rio Grande Valley, was the home of these so-called 8-liners, which netted her and game room owner Rene Gamez at least $21 million. However, Ledesma now says she was pressured into pleading guilty after spending an hour on the stand in a fiery back-and-forth with federal prosecutors during the February trial. “I think this is just an injustice. You try your best as a businessperson to do everything right, and they made me plead guilty,” a visibly distraught Ledesma told a local outlet.
For this report, SBS will be going over the latest gaming news coming out of the Lone Star State, along with some additional notes and info coming from the region and beyond.
Noted in the same article, Ledesma was very upset when she walked out of the McAllen federal courthouse late last month. Additionally, the judge allowed her to remain free on bond until August 15th, when she must surrender to the U.S. Marshals to begin her sentence. Per the report, the South Texas woman pleaded guilty to using a dead man’s identity to fraudulently file tax forms called FinCEN 8300 forms, which must be filed for cash transactions of $10,000 or more. Ledesma, who owned a store called Brittany’s Boutique, filed the forms after collecting cash from customers who spent their time playing electronic slot machines at a game room next door called El Toro.
In Texas, most forms of gambling are illegal. However, there’s a legal gray area for what’s called the “fuzzy animal exception,” which allows winners to receive novelty prizes valued at $5 million or less. Ledesma and Gamez, the report notes, capitalized on that exception to rake in millions. Players at Gamez’s game room would win small silver pellets, which they would then exchange for cash at Ledesma’s boutique. When El Torro’s supply of prize pellets ran low, the game room would purchase more – also from Ledesma’s store – for a slight premium, allowing her to make a profit. Per sources, she made at least $700,000 off the scheme in 2017, according to testimony from her former brother-in-law. However, all that cash flowing back and forth had to be reported to the IRS, and she used the identity of Luis Fernando Ramírez, who died after the scheme started, to do so.
At trial, prosecutors established Ledesma’s meticulousness for the smallest of details. This includes everything from “triple-checking” records to the placement of furniture inside the boutique. Then they would hammer about her responsibility to verify the veracity of the information on the forms. It was incredulous, they claimed, that she had remained ignorant of Ramirez’s death. “That was an oversight,” Ledesma testified then.
It was a point she continued to cling to after learning her fate this week. “At the end of the day, it is not my responsibility to know if he is alive. It’s their responsibility to tell me,” Ledesma said of Ramirez. The business owner and Gamez were initially charged together on a combined 16-count indictment, alleging aggravated identity theft, structuring financial transactions, and unlawful use of identification documents. Gamez –who was apprehended while on a vacation in Hawaii – quickly pleaded guilty and agreed to testify against Ledesma. His sentencing is set for October. Gamez said he was testifying to “tell the truth.” To this day, however, Ledesma maintains Gamez’s testimony was a lie meant to “save his own skin,” the report says.
“At no point did I intend to break the law or deceive anyone,” Ledesma read from a statement during her sentencing hearing late last month. Of course, federal prosecutors thought otherwise, and now the business owner will have to serve her sentence. Indeed, with Texas having some of the strictest gaming laws in the country, it would make sense that a case like this would have some added exposure and coverage. While gaming is a hot-button and often-talked-about topic in the Lone Star State, it is important to know what is legal and what is not. It remains to be seen, though, how many other operations exist like this in the state and what is being done to curb them.
Once you are all up to speed in relation to the latest Texas gambling notes and updates, make sure to check out the excellent array of info for you only at SBS. Of course, for even more notes on the topic covered here, the sports betting in Texas guide has your back when it comes to the latest and greatest updates coming from the Lone Star State. Additionally, for those who qualify, the BetOnline sportsbook review breakdown has you covered with a ton of fun analysis on BetOnline. Here, eligible customers can learn more about the site and whether it makes sense for them if they qualify. Finally, for those on the go, the best betting apps rundown is a fantastic page that goes over the perks of mobile betting for qualified customers and whether it makes sense for you.
About the Author
As a devout aficionado of sports, Chris Boline has carved a career within the athletic realm. A skilled scribe, he boasts a decade-long portfolio that encompasses coverage of the NBA G League, the Los Angeles Chargers, football and basketball across the country. Beyond his professional pursuits, Chris is deeply invested in his community and dedicates his leisure hours to serving on boards, collaborating with community organizations, and cherishing the company of loved ones. CURRENTLY Business Development and freelance sports writing RESIDES IN Reno, NV EDUCATION University of Nevada BS and MBA EXPERTISE -Sports writing proficiency in: NFL, NBA, UFC, boxing, golf, and some motor sports -Topical news -Promotional and marketing ideas/updates -Business development Summary Chris Boline serves in a business development sales capacity as his day job. He has previously held sales/marketing positions with The Applied Companies (TAC), KTVN 2 News and the NBA G League’s Reno Bighorns, affiliate of the Sacramento Kings. He is a Reno native and is a member of various community boards including the Nevada Sagebrush Alumni Chapter, NCET and the College of Business Alumni Association (COBAA). Chris graduated from the University of Nevada in 2015 with a bachelors in management and economics and also earned his MBA from Nevada in 2023. More about Chris: Past president of the College of Business Alumni Association (COBAA) 2022-23 Two-time honoree for University of Nevada Alumni Chapter of the Year (Nevada Sagebrush Alumni Chapter, 2017 & COBAA, 2021) 2021 NCET award for Professional Services Organization of the Year with TAC Northern Nevada Human Resources Association 2020 Best Places to Work-Northern Nevada, Second Place with TAC 2016-17 Reno Bighorns MVP from the Sacramento Kings The Nevada Sagebrush editor-in-chief 2013-15 Associated Collegiate Press 2015 Four-year Non-daily Newspaper Pacemaker honoree University of Nevada, Reno College of Business Dean's List honoree (5x) from 2011-2015 Nevada Press Association award for Best Sports Column – Community in 2015 Education
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