Federal agents from multiple agencies have executed an exhaustive search warrant at the Bicycle Hotel & Casino in Bell Gardens on last Tuesday morning. Though Fed agencies have not disclosed the nature of the raid, a few details about the warrant have been unearthed recently.
A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesperson has revealed. He said, “The raid was issued by a magistrate judge and filed under seal in relation to an ongoing investigation. Also speaking on the same, ICE’s western regional communications director Virginia Kice said, “Because the warrant is under seal, we are not able to comment on the scope or nature of the investigation.”
The hotel-casino where the investigation was carried out is located at Florence and Eastern avenues. The raid was being conducted by members of the Los Angeles High-Intensity Financial Crime Area Task Force. This force includes ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations. Others who had participated in the investigation were the California Department of Justice, U.S. Attorney’s Office, the IRS Criminal Investigation division and the California Bureau of Gambling Control.
Officers of the Homeland Security Investigations were seen at the parking lots of the casino. They have declared that the casino would be closed the remainder of Tuesday. Employees of the casino are now fearing whether they would still have a job after Tuesday. Reacting to the event, local citizens reported to a news channel, “This is beyond belief… The people are wonderful. The service is wonderful. You don’t understand that 1,000 people are now out of their job. This is devastating to the community.”
Though this is not the first time that Bicycle Casino has run in to trouble due to legal standings. In April 1990, Federal agents had seized the Bicycle Club following an approval by the prosecutors on the statement that it was built in part with $12 million in laundered drug money from Florida. Once again, the Bicycle Club has come under severe threat of its reputation as it is the biggest asset ever forfeited under federal racketeering laws. The casino had opened up a 99-room hotel in 2015 with a spa and VIP gaming room. The casino hotel was built as a Vegas style card club, which accommodates 710 freeway in the centre of a working class community. It has earned great name in Bell Gardens for its operations and philanthropy. The Bicycle Hotel & Casino in a written statement has said, “We are working with authorities and currently do not have additional information. As soon as the federal agents have completed their work, we will be in full operation.”