Oakland Gambling Den Security Guard Walks Free Despite Gun Linked to Killing

Posted on: March 30, 2026, 06:19h. 

Last updated on: March 30, 2026, 06:19h.

Philip Conneller @casinoorgphilc Read More
Expertise: Gaming Business, Regulation, Tribal Gaming.
  • Man found with murder-linked gun avoids prison after sentencing
  • Prosecutors concede no direct evidence tying suspect to killing
  • Judge rejects guilt-by-association, orders time served after two years

A man hired as a “security guard” at an illegal gambling den in Oakland, Calif., has walked free after authorities found him in possession of a firearm linked to an unsolved homicide, according to The Mercury News.

Oakland shooting, Ray Gilbert, unsolved homicide, gun possession case, Case Gang
Ray Gilbert’s social media posts of him posing with guns and money probably didn’t help his case, but a judge ultimately decided there was no evidence to link him to any murder cases. (Image: Northern California District Court Records)

Ray Gilbert, 27, was arrested along with three others in July 2023 during a raid on the underground operation. Weeks later, a search of his home uncovered a second gun that detectives said had been used in the fatal shooting of 21-year-old Mynyamani Stevenson.

Federal prosecutors indicted Gilbert, alleging he was part of a “robbery crew” tied to Oakland’s Case Gang. According to court documents, the group’s targets included a man who won money at the Livermore Casino and was followed home and robbed.

Gilbert was not indicted for murder or any homicide-related charge, but prosecutors used gun’s connection to argue for a harsher sentence.

Guilt by Association

But Gilbert’s lawyer asserted there was “no direct evidence” of her client’s involvement in the killing and that prosecutors were relying on guilt by association.

“At most, the government’s evidence shows that Mr. Gilbert is connected to people and places that are negative influences. Based on the facts presented, the Court cannot conclude that Mr. Gilbert was personally responsible for violent conduct, nor should it penalize him for associations rather than conduct,” Assistant Federal Public Defender Gabriela Bischof said.

U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers agreed, sentencing Gilbert to time served – he spent about two years in jail as he waited for his case to come up.

Bischof said Gilbert grew up surrounded by violence and had made efforts to change, finding legitimate work. His father was murdered when he was five, and he has been shot five times.

“I thought I needed protection,” Gilbert wrote, as reported by The Mercury News. “My dad died and my friends died and I thought this was what I needed. But I now know that it isn’t…”

Murders Unsolved

Stevenson was found dead in the parking lot of the Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church in Oakland on July 29, 2023. Weeks later, on August 16, Tatiana Brice, a 26-year-old mother of one, was found shot to death in the East Oakland hills.

According to court records, Brice had told people at underground gambling dens that she was involved in Stevenson’s killing.

No one has been charged in either case.