After being convicted for illegally gambling, a 46-year-old Corpus Chisti resident will spend more than two years in prison.
The US Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of Texas has updated Nathan Nichols’ sentence. He pleaded guilty to the charge of conspiring against the theft of US government property.
The court handed down the sentence after recognizing the dangers and potential damages that could be caused. 27 months in federal prison will be followed immediately by two years of supervision.
He was also ordered to pay $1m in restitution and $2.18m forfeited as part of his guilty pleas in order to recover proceeds from illegal activity.
The FBI and Corpus Christi Police Department conducted the first of these investigations. The US Attorney’s Office stated that Nichols was co-owner of Theo’s Bar, and owner/operator at Lady Luck. Each of these were believed to have illegal gaming devices.
The establishments featured computer-based play rather than casino-style equipment. Instead of the reel action on the machine reels, the computer screen simulated the actual game. Players placed wagers prior to each spin, and won cash.
A separate case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations as well as the US Army Criminal Investigation Division. Nichols admitted to conspiring to steal sensitive military property worth $2.17m.
Authorities discovered military equipment when they executed a search warrant at his home. This included thermal scopes and night vision scopes as well as laser range finders, laser aiming devices, night vision goggles, laser range finders, laser range finders, laser range finders and night vision scopes. The US Army owned all of the property.
Nichols will be held in custody until his transfer to a US Bureau of Prisons facility. This will be determined in the very near future.
