Texas Family Runs Illegal Bookmaking from Used Car Dealership

A family from southeast Texas has acknowledged in the federal court that they ran illegal bookmaking from their father’s used car dealership for more than three decades. The federal authorities described it as one of the nation’s biggest illegal sports gambling and money laundering operations.

L. Earnest T, his wife J Kay T and their son pleaded guilty in federal court in Beaumont, Texas, to charges arising from their illicit sports betting operation.

The Beaumont family’s operation handled almost $33 million from 2010 through 2016, with J Tillery helping her husband launder the cash proceeds of the activity and B Tillery helping to collect from and pay the bettors.

“For more than 30 years, this family operated one of the largest illegal sports gambling and money laundering operations in the U.S.” Mary Magness, assistant special agent in charge of the Homeland Security Investigations Houston office said.

L Tillery has to face up to 10 years in federal prison, while Judy and Brian Tillery have to face five years each in prison. No sentencing date has been scheduled.

“I’m not a perfect man, made some mistakes. Stay away from the casinos,” L Tillery said.

“Today is the last step in Mr. Tillery’s efforts to handle his business with the IRS,” Tillery’s attorney, Chip Lewis said.

“The Tillerys ignored state and federal gambling laws and profited tremendously from a criminal enterprise. We intend to collect every bit of the money judgment that will be issued against them and we expect L. Tillery’s prison sentence to send a message to those who profit from illegal bookmaking,” U.S. Attorney Joseph Brown said.