A Texas businesswoman has been sentenced to 18 months in federal jail for her position in a large unlawful playing operation involving “8-liner” slot machines that raked in additional than $21 million.
On Tuesday (July 15), District Decide Drew B. Tipton handed down the sentence after Dominga “Penny” Ledesma pleaded responsible to prices associated to operating illegal gambling establishments throughout South Texas, alongside sport room proprietor Rene Gamez.
The girl stated she was pressured to plead responsible. https://t.co/u10QkOjVD8
— MySA (@mySA) July 20, 2025
Texas girl used ‘identities of deceased people’ in unlawful playing scheme
According to courtroom paperwork, the 53-year-old from Raymondville was a central determine within the scheme, which used entrance firms to hide earnings from dozens of 8-liner institutions.
The federal legal grievance filed in 2019 revealed investigators had tied her to the El Toro Recreation Room close to Lyford, Texas, the place “clients would journey… to particularly play the eight liner machines.”
When gamers received, staff “would then present small items of ‘silver’ equaling the quantity of the winnings to the shopper,” in response to courtroom paperwork. These “silver” items had been exchanged for money at Brittany’s Boutique, which Ledesma owned and operated.
The grievance detailed that “between Might 31, 2017, and October 30, 2018, roughly twenty-one million ($21,000,000) USD in money transactions tied to the El Toro Recreation Room had been filed by Ledesma.”
Federal brokers from Homeland Safety Investigations (HSI) started monitoring the scheme in mid-2018 after state and native authorities flagged suspicious exercise. Surveillance operations documented clients leaving the El Toro Recreation Room with baggage of “silver” and touring a brief distance to Brittany’s Boutique to alternate the items for US forex.
Investigators later uncovered that Ledesma filed false federal reviews, utilizing the identities of deceased people and others with out their consent.
“Your affiant is aware of that it’s a violation of Title 18 U.S.C. §1028A to knowingly possess or use with out lawful authority, a way of identification, specifically the social safety variety of one other individual, throughout and in relation to a felony violation,” the grievance acknowledged.
One confidential informant advised brokers, “silver exchanged for United States forex at Brittany’s Boutique by clients of the El Toro Recreation Room was then offered again to the staff of the El Toro Recreation Room by staff of Brittany’s Boutique.”
Prosecutors accused Ledesma of structuring money deposits and filings to keep away from detection. The grievance alleges she brought on or tried to trigger “a nonfinancial commerce or enterprise to file a report… that accommodates a cloth omission or misstatement of truth” in violation of federal regulation.
In February 2023, Ledesma pleaded responsible, however the decide let her keep out on bond for a couple of extra months. She now has till August 15 to show herself in to the US Marshals and begin serving her sentence.
Featured picture: Canva
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