LA prosecutors have dropped the case against a congressman accused of stopping a pro player and stealing $500 worth of poker chips from him. [Image: Shutterstock.com]
No more options
An unnamed professional gambler’s fear of “putting his life at risk” in response to charges against Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD) Deputy Braulio Robledo for allegedly stealing $500 worth of poker chips from him led to the LA District Attorney dropping the case against the controversial MP.
The poker pro, who had chips stolen from Los Angeles’ Commerce Casino in January 2020, fears retaliation from an alleged LASD assemblyman gang, the reports Los Angeles Timesthat he was actively avoiding the federal investigators who were pursuing his case. With gambling on the wind, the Feds declared in January 2022 they were “out of options.”
After prosecutors dropped the case against Robledo, the LA County Civilian Oversight Commission on Friday accused the government of “turning a blind eye to the problem of proxy gangs at the ministry.”
Representative gangs of LA
The LASD Independent Oversight Commission said the prosecutor’s proper response should have been to “investigate thoroughly” Robledo’s possible gang involvement. The commission’s Sean Kennedy said prosecutors instead “accused the victim of uncooperativeness and declined to prosecute.”
renegade proxy gangs operating from within the ranks of LASD
The Just cites decades-old allegations of renegade proxy gangs operating from within LASD “Trust certain channels and promote a culture of violence.” One of the most notorious gangs, known as the Banditos, reportedly operates out of the LASD’s East LA Station, which is also Robledo’s base.
On Friday, LASD announced that it had placed the deputy on administrative leave. In response to the JustThe LASD said it was required by law not to disclose whether the accused poker chip thief was still taking police money.
A Long Call
When first questioned about the missing poker chips, Robledo denied stopping and searching the player.
The prosecutor’s memo, meanwhile, cites LASD records that named Robledo as the only SUV-driving unit in the area at the time. However, Robledo appears to be someone not to be messed with as there are several lawsuits pending against him, some of which are still ongoing, alleging ties to the Banditos.
LASD did not respond Just’ Asked if the department ever questioned Robledo about alleged gang membership but instead said his case was still under internal investigation. Prosecutors were investigating Robledo back in 2019 over a complaint involving three women, one of whom accused the uniformed officer of asking her to touch his penis.
