Beaumont, Texas Bookie and Family Must Hand Over Chanel Jewelry, Rolexes, Cash to Feds

Posted on: July 5, 2019, 12:22h. 

Last updated on: July 5, 2019, 12:54h.

Todd Shriber @etfgodfather Read More
Expertise: Financial, Gaming Business, Mergers and Acquisitions.

Larry Tillery, the Texas businessman charged with operating one of the largest bookmaking operations in the US, his wife and son must turn over a slew of high-end jewelry, cash, accessories and more to the federal government as part of their guilty pleas.

Larry Tillery, the Texas car dealer and bookie, could see 33 months in prison for money laundering. (Image: Beaumont Enterprise)

Last month, Tillery, his wife, Judy Kay Tillery, and their son Brian Tillery – all residents of Beaumont, Texas – pleaded guilty to money laundering. Larry Tillery, also pleaded guilty to charges of tax evasion. The trio has not been sentenced yet, but Larry Tillery’s attorney expects his client will face 33 months in prison and two years of probation.

Court documents indicate Uncle Sam is looking to seize an array of goods and memorabilia from the family.

Two Chanel necklaces and Chanel earrings; six Rolex watches, including two with more than 50 diamonds between them; a Tag Heuer watch,” are among the items the Feds are looking to get from the family, reports The Beaumont Enterprise.

Details on the Tag Heuer watch were sparse, but the manufacturer’s higher end timepieces have price tags ranging from around $1,000 up to $50,000. Federal authorities are also attempting to seize some sports items from the Tillerys, including an autographed Joe Namath jersey and a jersey signed by former New Orleans Saints running back Mark Ingram, Jr. Ingram now plays for the Baltimore Ravens.

Lots Of Cash

The documents cited by The Beaumont Enterprise also show that in addition to the aforementioned jewelry, watches and sports collectibles, federal authorities are angling to keep more than $1.8 million in cash from the Tillerys. That includes over $1.3 million seized from the patriarch from April through November 2017.

As Casino.org reported earlier this year, Larry Tillery is believed to have run the illicit gambling operation for more than 30 years and used his used car dealership, Daylight Motors, to wash the ill-gotten proceeds.

In some circles, the elder Tillery was seen as something of a godfather of illegal sports betting in Southeastern Texas and it is believed he once took a $100,000 bet on a single game. That amount is roughly double the median income in the Port Arthur-Beaumont area of Texas, a region where the median income is almost $9,400 below the figure for the Lone Star State and almost $10,500 lower than the US median income.

Speaking of large numbers, the feds want Brian Tillery, 46, to turnover a house appraised at $600,000 in the tony Christina Court area of Beaumont. While home prices in the region are rising thanks in large part to the booming Texas economy, the median home price in Beaumont is just under $109,000, according to Zillow.

There are legislative efforts to bring more commercial or tribal gambling to Texas, but the second-largest state by population currently has no land-based venues where table games are illegal. There are two, small tribal properties with gaming machines. The Jacks or Better Casino is run on a boat that sails out to the Gulf of Mexico from Galveston and offers table games.

Along with California, Texas is seen as one of the potential crown jewels of legalized sports betting, but movement on that front in the Lone Star State appears unlikely over the near-term.

Louisiana Link

Larry Tillery’s capers were not confined to his home state. In January 2017, law enforcement from Louisiana issued a warrant for his arrest after he wrote a $330,000 bad check at the L’auberge Casino in Baton Rouge. That property is operated by Penn National Gaming.

As part of his plea agreement, Tillery must repay the L’auberge.