Serving the High Plains
Serving the High Plains
A Tucumcari woman has been summoned to magistrate court after being accused of running an illegal gambling site on Facebook.
Annamarie J. Crespin, 49, was charged last month with gambling, commercial gambling, permitting premises to be used for gambling and racketeering (evidence of unlawful use of premises).
The racketeering count is a second-degree felony that could lead up to nine years in prison and up to a $10,000 fine. The commercial gambling count is a fourth-degree felony that could lead up to 18 months in prison and up to a $5,000 fine.
The other counts are petty misdemeanors.
Crespin was summoned to appear before Magistrate Judge Noreen Hendrickson on Oct. 8. If Crespin doesn’t appear, a warrant will be issued for her arrest.
The criminal complaint was filed by Nathan Cadroy, special agent for the New Mexico Gaming Control Board’s enforcement division.
Cadroy wrote that Cmdr. Terry McGaha in March 2021 found an illegal gambling or racketeering operation called Bombshell Beauty on a private Facebook group where Crespin was one of its operators. (Two other people were listed as administrators for the gambling site, but they were not charged.)
In 2023, Cadroy wrote that agents requested and were granted permission to join the private group.
They learned the group had a virtual wheel game where members could purchase slots or spaces on the wheel for a chance to win various merchandise. Spins were conducted on Facebook Live. Slots on the wheel ranged in price from $1 to $10.
Cadroy said the Bombshell Beauty operation conduced 36 illegal commercial gambling events from March 2021 to June 2024 and received $8,643 in bets from participants.
Cadroy and McGaha submitted requests of preservation of evidence to Meta Platforms, aka Facebook. Judge Donna Mowrer in May issued a search warrant on Meta.
Cadroy stated he and Agent Karen Chavez interviewed Crespin at her home. She said she opened the Bombshell Beauty page on Facebook and explained how the wheel game was set up.
No lawyer for Crespin was listed in online court records.