HOUSTON, Texas (KPEL News) — Federal prosecutors have brought the hammer down on what they say was one of the largest illegal gambling and money laundering operations ever uncovered in Texas.
A total of 16 Texans now face federal charges after authorities seized millions in cash, luxury assets, and thousands of gambling machines in a sweeping takedown of a Houston-based criminal network.
Dubbed “Operation Double Down,” the bust centers on Nizar Ali of Richmond, who is accused of masterminding a massive underground gambling ring across the Houston area. Prosecutors say his operation funneled more than $22 million through illegal game rooms that operated under the radar—sometimes literally in buildings nicknamed “El Portal” and “Yellow Building.”…