Large Federal Raid Targets Unlawful Betting, Migrants at Non-public Idaho Racetrack

• Federal, state, and native officers raided La Catedral Enviornment in Idaho
• Monitor proprietor Ivan Tellez was arrested over unlawful betting
• PODER of Idaho condemned migrant detentions as ‘heartbreaking’

Federal brokers performed an enormous raid Sunday on a non-public horse racetrack in Wilder, Idaho, uncovering an unlawful parimutuel betting operation and undocumented migrants, based on native information shops.

Ivan Tellez, above, recognized by federal authorities because the proprietor of La Catedral Enviornment, faces costs associated to unlawful betting operations. (Picture: FBI)

KTVB reported that greater than 200 federal, state, and native legislation enforcement officers, together with the FBI and Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE), executed a federal search warrant at La Catedral Enviornment at round 1 pm Sunday, detaining the monitor proprietor, Ivan Tellez, together with others concerned in playing on the venue, and dozens of spectators.

Tellez has a allow to carry horse races at La Catedral, however he doesn’t maintain a betting license, based on a federal criticism obtained by On line casino.org.

Dozens Detained

The raid occurred throughout a racing occasion, and no less than 50 individuals apparently unconnected to the playing operation, had been additionally detained on the scene. Many had been led away with their fingers zip-tied, based on witnesses who spoke to KTVB.

PODER of Idaho, a marketing campaign group targeted on empowering Latinx and immigrant communities, informed The Idaho Statesman that folks arrived to protest in the course of the detentions.

That is completely ridiculous that we arrest and corral individuals into buses and separate them from their households,” stated Estefanía Mondragón, govt director of PODER. “I’ve been on the point of crying. I can’t imagine it’s taking place in Idaho. We’re a tight-knit neighborhood and these are our neighbors that we’re going after. It’s heartbreaking and a betrayal to our households right here.”

Those that had been in a position to present documentation had been later launched, based on the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).

FBI Particulars Playing Probe

In accordance with the FBI criticism, in February 2025, brokers acquired a tip from a member of the general public that unlawful betting was occurring at La Catedral and {that a} man named Samuel Bejarano, additionally arrested Sunday, was the bookmaker and administrator for the operation.

The informant additionally described a “committee” of horse homeowners, which included Tellez, that was concerned within the betting enterprise.

Investigators discovered that Bejarano had posted about betting and racing on the La Catedral on quite a few events and acquired wagers through companies comparable to Venmo and Zelle. Many of those deposits had been made a day or two after races had been held, based on the criticism.

Investigators additionally found that Tellez had deposited about $100K into accounts related to La Catedral Enviornment at Zions Financial institution over the previous two years. He was unable to supply a solution when questioned by financial institution officers concerning the supply of the funds, per the criticism.