Fake detectives with badges, guns steal gaming machines from gas station, TX cops say

Two men impersonated gaming commission detectives to steal gaming machines from a Texas gas station, police say.

On Oct. 27, two men walked into a Houston Valero around 8:20 p.m. claiming to be detectives with the Texas “gaming commission authority,” police said in a news release.

The problem? Texas doesn’t have a state gaming commission.

The fake detectives told the sales clerk they had an order to “confiscate” two of its gaming machines under suspicion of illegal gambling, police said.

The clerk told police that the phony seizure order appeared to have an official stamp and a judge’s signature — both fake, officials said.

The men also had fake badges and were armed with handguns that were holstered, according to police.

The faux detectives used dollies to remove the gaming machines from the building and loaded them into a white Chevrolet 2500 extended cab pickup truck, police said.

Each machine is worth about $2,500. The clerk didn’t know how much money was in them, according to the release.

The two men are described as being between 40 and 45 years old. One wore jeans, a brown sports coat, brown shoes and a mask, according to police. The other wore jeans, a white polo, a mask and a camouflage cap.

Each are wanted for impersonating a public servant, a third-degree felony that could bring up to 10 years in prison if convicted, police said.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Crime Stoppers at 713-222-8447. They may pay up to $5,000 for information leading to their arrest.

This story was originally published November 19, 2020 at 3:20 PM.