SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Two men have been charged after allegedly operating illegal gambling enterprises in Joplin and Springfield.
Online court documents from the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri show that Preston Henry Bustillo and Rahulkumar Dashrathlal Patel are charged with interstate travel in aid of racketeering. Their operation involved a Georgia-based business and multiple game rooms in Springfield and Joplin, according to a criminal complaint filed on Nov. 2.
A monthlong investigation led by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, with help from the Springfield Police Department (SPD) and Joplin Police Department (JPD), revealed that an illegal gambling enterprise was established by a Georgia-based business that had opened locations in Springfield.
On March 19, 2024, shortly after the City of Springfield passed an ordinance banning “no-chance” gaming machines , documents state that officers from multiple agencies executed search warrants at several locations in Springfield, and initially made contact with Patel during the search. Documents say that just days later on March 22, a SPD officer spotted three Penske box trucks outside two different illegal gambling locations, where people were loading the remaining gambling machines into the trucks.