itstargetnews
Sacramento County detectives say they have dismantled what they described as a “large illegal gambling network operating in our region and affecting residential communities,” the result of an investigation that lasted several months and focused on a suspected criminal organization.
The Sheriff’s Office shared details of the case on Facebook postexplaining that the investigation began in April 2025. At that time, detectives “began to investigate a criminal organization suspected of violating California Penal Code 330 (illegal gambling) and 337a(a) (bookmaking).” Over time, investigators zeroed in on six people they believed played a key role in a network underground casinos spread throughout Northern California. Authorities identified Theaplus Osborne, Dana Green, James Frazier, Herman Hawkins, and Thurston Bershell as those involved.
According to investigators, the operation followed a clear chain of command. They allege that Osborne oversaw activity at eight separate gambling locations while “several co-conspirators oversaw day-to-day operations.” Many of the sites are set up “from residential neighborhoods,” drawing repeated calls to representatives and complaints from neighbors.
Law enforcement officials say gambling houses are not just a nuisance but a magnet for violence. The Sheriff’s Office linked the properties to “violent incidents, assaults, large-scale fights, and firearm-related crimes.” Among the examples cited are “an individual being chased while brandishing a weapon, a woman being stabbed to the ground during a confrontation, and large scale fights involving guns.” The agency added, “This is the type of criminal activity that illegal casinos attract in neighborhoods.”
Financial investigators also traced significant cash flows through the alleged network. Detectives concluded that the group “laundered more than $1.4 million between January 2024 and July 2025.”
On February 19, 2026, the deputies moved. Search warrants were served at nine locations, and several suspects were arrested. During the raids, authorities reported seizing 16 illegally owned firearms, several high-capacity magazines, more than $100,000 in cash, about 13 gambling machines, and more than 60 computers that investigators believe support illegal online betting. Officials said the actions effectively shut down the operation.
The latest crackdown unfolds against a broader backdrop of concern about underground gambling in the Sacramento area.
Prosecutors recently secured a conviction in a separate case tied to a 2018 robbery of a garage used as an illegal gambling housee. Court records show that John Edward Blount and Eddie Lee White were found guilty in November 2025 of six robbery counts and three attempted robbery counts after entering the property armed.
Blount, who also faces a felony firearm possession charge, received a sentence of 301 years to life in prison on February 10, 2026. White was sentenced to 40 years and eight months. Prosecutors described the first break-in as a violent home invasion in which the victims were held at gunpoint, assaulted, and forced to the floor before deputies recovered the stolen property.
Sheriff’s officials say the recent enforcement effort is aimed at preventing that kind of violence from taking root again in residential neighborhoods.
Featured image: Screenshots from Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office / Facebook
The post Sacramento deputies have dismantled a sprawling illegal gambling network after a lengthy investigation first appeared in ReadWrite.
