Texas Mayor Arrested in Undercover Illegal Gambling Sting

Police have arrested a Texas mayor, who can be a college administrator, after an undercover operation found unlawful playing at a laundromat he owns. Christopher Armacost is the mayor of Hitchcock, a small city near Galveston. The 44-year-old can be an assistant superintendent at Hitchcock Impartial Faculty District.

Regulation enforcement arrested him on Wednesday on expenses of participating in organized felony exercise. A county lieutenant obtained a tip a few laundromat having 5 eight-liner machines, digital gadgets that intently resemble slot machines which can be unlawful in Texas.

discovered textual content messages on her telephone to and from Mayor Armacost discussing the playing operation

Two officers went undercover to Consolation Zone Washateria and performed with $20 on two machines earlier than exchanging their tickets for money with the attendant. They returned the next day with a search warrant and arrested the attendant, Nancy Landert, as she had an excellent warrant. A sergeant discovered textual content messages on her telephone to and from Mayor Armacost discussing the playing operation.

The Galveston County Sheriff’s Workplace additionally executed one other 20 search warrants the identical day as a part of a wider crackdown on unlawful playing, which resulted in over two dozen arrests. One of many raids was in Metropolis Corridor.