Oakland Gambling Den Guard Linked to Unsolved Homicide Cases

Oakland police have linked a gun found in the possession of a security guard at an underground casino to an unsolved homicide in the city, the East Bay Times reports. They also believe the guard, 25-year-old Ray Gilbert, may know something about another unsolved killing that occurred last August.

Gilbert was arrested in July following a raid on the illegal casino at a house in Oakland. He and three others who were working security were charged with possessing several firearms that were found in the building.

A subsequent raid on Gilbert’s home in August turned up another gun, which detectives confirmed was used in the shooting death of 21-year-old Mynyamani Stevenson just weeks earlier.

Stevenson’s body was found in the parking lot of Oakland’s Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church on the morning of July 29.

On August 16, just 12 hours after police had searched Gilbert’s home, Tatiania Brice, a 26-year-old mother of one, was found shot to death in the East Oakland hills.

Ten days before her death, Brice had been talking about her involvement in the Stevenson killing to patrons of various underground gaming dens in Oakland, according to a tip received by investigators.

No one has been charged with either killing.

‘Danger to the Public’ 

Gilbert is currently residing in the Santa Rita Jail while his gun possession case is pending. In a filing to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California on January 18, federal prosecutors asked that he remain there. They claim he’s a “danger to the public, based on his repeated gun possession and suspected involvement in numerous larcenies.”

They further argue that his possession of the gun used in the Stevenson killing either means he was involved in the murder, or “he associates with and exchanges firearms with people who use those guns in murders.”

Case Gang Robbery Crew

Court filings also allege that Gilbert was a member of a “robbery crew” linked to Oakland’s Case Gang that was active throughout 2023. Their targets included a man who won money at the Livermore Casino and who was followed home and robbed, according to court documents.

Gilbert initially drew police attention via his Instagram account, where he regularly shared images of himself posing with money and guns.

The case highlights the link between the illegal gambling dens, or “slaphouses,” which have sprung up in abundance in cities in California and elsewhere in recent years, and local crime syndicates.

Slaphouses, named for the button-bashing sound made by patrons playing on illegal machines, have been linked to an increase in crime, including gang activity, the sale of drugs, and prostitution.