Goods impounded for Richard Lee of the WSOP
There have been reports in the San Antonio press that local police searched a home owned by Richard Lee, winner of nearly $3 million this year at the World Series of Poker, for evidence of an extensive illegal Internet gambling operation.
"This operation is the largest here in San Antonio," the publication quotes local police spokesman Joe Rios, who confirmed the search warrant was served on a Shavano Park home in the 100 block of Geddington Street. According to Bexar County Appraisal District tax records, the home belongs to a Richard Lee, who TV reports and a police source said is the same Richard Lee who was a finalist at the World Series of Poker just recently. Lee placed sixth in the main event for the WSOP for $2,803,851, and was said to be the target of a long-running investigation into what the newspaper termed an "extensive illegal Internet gambling operation."
"Our vice detectives have been conducting a comprehensive investigation where they believe proceeds from illegal gambling have bought a lot of items in this house," Joe Rios told WOAI, a San Antonio Television Station. "Anytime we have that type of investigation that leads us to believe there's illegal property in the house we have authority to seize it. We're taking all the vehicles and all the property inside the house."
The police had kept an eye on Lee's home for many months before requesting a search warrant. Inside the home, they found dozens of receipts for deposits on payouts from gambling proceeds, Rios said. "We're talking payouts well over $500,000," he said.
A money-counting machine; five Lexus cars, including two sports utility vehicles and three sedans; multiple plasma-screen TVs; and a large amount of cash were seized by authorities, he said. Now that they have found evidence, there is enough to move ahead with the investigation.
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