Dozens of FBI agents and San Diego police officers on Wednesday morning raided an El Cerrito casino and arrested nine people on racketeering charges.
Officers swarmed the Lucky Lady Casino at El Cajon Boulevard and 55th early Wednesday morning. The FBI’s organized crime squad served a sealed search warrant at the casino as they investigated a group of defendants on illegal gambling and racketeering allegations.
These defendants were arrested: Sanders Bruce Segal, Stanley Samuel Penn, Petter Magnus Karlsson, David Greg Leppo, Pablo Ballestro Frech, Sydney Bruce, Segal, Joseph Edward Spatafore, Minh Triet Dinh Nguyen, James Hang Tear, Ken Pheng Keo, Jason D. Taylor and Jeffrey Alan Burke.
Two of the defendants were arraigned on Wednesday afternoon and the remaining defendants are expected to appear in court on Thursday.
Prosecutors in a news release said the defendants are accused of using the casino as a front for an illegal sports gambling operation.
Segal, believed to be the ringleader, operated “Segal’s Lucky Lady Sports Book,” which connected bookies, sub-bookies and gamblers with sports websites outside the U.S.
The operation aimed to provide customers a place to illegally place bets on sports gambling websites.
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The group of defendants assisted Segal is conducting the operation, federal prosecutors said.
Several Lucky Lady employees were shocked when they showed up to work on Wednesday.
“I haven’t seen anything going on,” said poker dealer David Nguyen. “I work 4 to 5 days a week. Everybody is really good. Friendly casino. Regular customers every day. I don’t hear any illegal activity at all.”
It wasn’t immediately clear what would happen to the casino. It was closed during Wednesday’s investigation.
