Police are investigating a report of three or four suspects who robbed multiple victims in the midst of a card game at a Northwest Austin home early Saturday morning, according to an arrest affidavit.
The suspects forced their way into a home at the 8000 block of Northforest Drive, near the intersection of West Anderson Lane and MoPac Boulevard (Loop 1), sometime before 1 a.m., the affidavit said.
Victims and witnesses said the suspects came into the home displaying handguns and rifles and took money, cell phones, purses, wallets, credit cards, debit cards and identification cards, the affidavit said.
About an hour before the robbery occurred, a police officer observed two vehicles — a black, four-door Toyota Avalon and a 1990s four-door BMW with large after-market wheels — parked close to the residence. The officer made contact with the driver of the Toyota, a black male who had an African-sounding accent, the affidavit said.
The same officer responded to the robbery call, and recognized a similar description from victims and witnesses that the suspects had African-sounding accents, the affidavit said. Subsequently, police visited the home of the owner of the Toyota, but have not located the driver, the affidavit said.
At 4:30 a.m., a Travis County sheriff’s deputy, aware of the call, spotted a 1997 BMW matching the description of the robbery call, at the McDonalds-Chevron station at 15900 N. Interstate 35, the affidavit said. The vehicle was registered to a Osarodion Osagie, the affidavit said.
It said the officer conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle, and upon searching the driver, who went by Osaro Osagie, discovered $1,000 in cash in his jean pockets and a credit/debit card belonging to a victim at Northforest Drive.
During a visual search of the vehicle, the officer could see the handle of a Glock semi-automatic pistol sticking out of a McDonald’s bag along with a magazine with bullets sitting on the floorboard of the vehicle, the affidavit said.
Osagie, 22, was arrested for credit card or debit card abuse, a state jail felony, the affidavit said.
The aggravated robbery is part of a “still active and ongoing investigation,” the affidavit said.
HARRISBURG - It's a done deal at last. Table games are coming to Pennsylvania by the end of the year.
By a vote of 103-89, legislation to legalize poker, blackjack, roulette, and other table games received long-awaited final approval last night in the state House. Gov. Rendell plans to sign the bill today.
The gambling expansion, coming as the commonwealth struggles to pull itself out of the recession, is projected to create thousands of jobs and pump $250 million into the state's revenue-starved coffers.
By patching that budget hole, the bill averts the threatened layoff of 1,000 state workers and concludes the excruciating 2009-10 budget process - just weeks before Rendell is due to unveil next year's state spending plan.
A spokesman for the state Gaming Control Board said it would take from six to nine months to get table games up and running in the nine operating casinos - some of which have already marked off whole expanses of floor space to make way for the new games.
Supporters praised the bill - which amends the five-year-old law legalizing slots casinos - as an economic-recovery engine and a good-government measure, tightening restrictions for gaming board members, casino owners, and their employees.
"This is a commonsense, bipartisan piece of legislation that makes our gaming facilities more competitive, improves the public's confidence in gaming, raises money we desperately need . . . and most importantly helps put thousands of people to work in a brand-new industry," said Rep. Dante Santoni (D., Berks), chairman of the Gaming Oversight Committee. "Allowing table games is the right thing to do - not just for today, but for the future."
The APA in the NEWS
21 December 2009
The APA post the following article in order to show the ramifications of illegal poker games in Texas. As noted in the article, the APA does not support or conduct illegal card games. We encourage new players to join the APA, but not all potential players will gain access. The APA directors actively screen new players using various means. Although this screening may not be 100% accurate, it tends to root out the rif-raf from access to legal card games. Additionally, APA league locations are not published in order to protect the players that participate in the games. The decision to allow a player to gain access to a game is up to the individual director of that league.
We might assume that our leagues are not a target based on the lower total pot size, but we must remember that any amount of money makes the leagues a target to criminal elements. The screening process, not publishing locations, low pot size and other un-published measures greatly assist our players in feeling safe at affiliated games.
Furthermore, the APA encourages expanding card game legislation in Texas and provides information to its players through the league directors as issues arise. The APA does not encourage legislation that allows for Casino gaming, nor does it support current “Chance/Luck” forms of gambling like track racing, Lottery or Bingo. These forms of gambling rely on “Luck” and not the skill of the participant.
Card games require a majority of skill and the ability to assess other players skill level. We agree that a small amount of luck is involved, but we CAN argue that skill is predominate in a large majority of card games.
We encourage all players to read the accompanying piece and make comments on the bottom of the page. If we desire to have poker laws expanded, the reporter needs to see the demand via remarks from the community.
The Austin Poker Alliance was mentioned in the write-up on KXAN news 36 in Austin ( KXAN Link Video and Write up ). The video piece covers a robbery that occurred in Austin on 9 Dec 2009. Mike Lavigne (PPA Texas Director) was interviewed for the piece also and took center stage in the video piece.
Gunmen rob high-stakes poker game
They allegedly stole thousands, assaulted players
Updated: Monday, 21 Dec 2009, 6:21 PM CST
Published : Monday, 21 Dec 2009, 5:17 PM CST
• Jenny Hoff
AUSTIN (KXAN) - Catered food, high-profile players and thousands of dollars on the table set the scene for an armed robbery in Southwest Austin.
Sources said gunmen broke into a high-stakes poker game around 11 p.m. Dec. 9. Wearing masks, they entered the apartment, assaulted some of the players and then took off with more than $20,000 in cash.
APD confirms there was an aggravated robbery at the apartment that night involving two suspects and the investigation is still open. "From what I understand, investigators are at a stalemate," said Commander Chris Noble with APD's organized crime division. "The victim is not being cooperative."
But, Mike Lavigne, the Texas State Director for the Poker Players Alliance , blames antiquated laws for the robbers' success and the unsolved crimes.
"A lot of times people don't even call the cops if these places get busted by a thief because it's not legal for them to be necessarily running that room in the first place," Lavigne said. Poker becomes illegal in Texas when the House makes a cut. In the case of these underground games, poker hosts can pocket hundreds of thousands of dollars a year for putting together the events. The nights usually involve catered food, free massages and, in some cases, extra security.
"It's not seen as a crime in most parts of the world," said Lavigne. "It just happens to be the leftovers from some old laws in Texas. It's not clear what's legal or illegal in our state right now."
Participating in an illegal poker game is a Class A misdemeanor. But, even with the minor criminal penalty, police said players and homeowners are reluctant to report an attack or a robbery.
"There's no incentive, if you will, for the victim to cooperate with the police," said Noble.
Cooperating with police involves identifying the players, which will then lead to an investigation - minor questioning, at the very least. And, that will likely kill a house's customer base.
"These players don't consider themselves criminals," said Lavigne. "They just want to be able to play with their friends in an environment without being hassled."
Tim Kelly, who founded the Austin Poker Alliance , is another avid fan of the game. Kelly, however, only participates in legal games and often sets up several tables at his own house.
"We'll fill up the place," Kelly said. "But, it's secure. When they come into the house there is a set time when registration is basically over and you're not really going to get into the house unless you break in."
Kelly adds that many of the players are licensed to carry concealed handguns. "If they do break in, the criminals are risking their lives," said Kelly.
Kelly agrees that poker laws should be loosened in Texas, but said defying the laws in place now is too great a risk. "I won't affiliate with it simply because of the danger that you're asking about," he said, referring to games where the house gets a cut. "I won't have anything to do with it."
There were similar robberies of poker games in Houston and Dallas in the last month. In both cases, the robbers were caught. "You don't know what you're walking into until you walk in," said Lavigne. "You know, the fact of the matter is, eventually someone is going to come through that door with a gun - whether it's a cop or a robber."
In the case of the Gaines Ranch Apartments, APD said there are still no suspects in custody and they are working on getting more information from the victim.
POKER NEWS