HOUSTON – The Houston Police Department and the Harris County District Attorney's Office held a news conference to announce arrests in a "significant joint operation."
Over two years, police said they apprehended 41 individuals, including three HPD officers, accused of involvement in illegal gambling rooms in the Chinatown area.
The first two HPD officers, Larry Nguyen and Huy Ly, who have now resigned, were among the 22 people who were arrested in a sting operation in March.
READ: 2 HPD officers among 22 charged in illegal gambling investigation in Chinatown
The HPD made more arrests Thursday at a game room on 10804 Bellaire Blvd. Officials said HPD Officer Thomas Lam, 42, was among the five arrested. Police said Lam was arrested on two charges related to operating a game room, which is a class A misdemeanor.
Police said the other four people arrested were manager Thy Nguyen and employees Vu The Vo, James Wang and Andy Vo, who are all charged with money laundering.
Thomas Lam was arrested on two charges related to operating a game room, which is a class A misdemeanor.
The judge found there was not enough evidence to hold Thy Nguyen, James Wang and Andy Vo, and they were later released.
READ" Without enough probable cause, game room suspects released, judge orders
Vu The Vo remains in jail, still facing charges
"We remain confident there is certainly sufficient evidence that these three defendants should be charged with a crime, as have more than three dozen others in this case," said Dane Schiller, spokesman for the Harris County District Attorney's Office. "The magistrate's decision is rooted in a paperwork technicality that will be resolved Monday when prosecutors present evidence to a grand jury that will vote on whether to issue an indictment."
Lam was a prolific gambler who acted as a sort of “bouncer” for the establishment and decided who would and would not be allowed in, according to the DA’s Office.
"From my perspective, the evidence shows that he is a prolific gambler and gambled his career away," Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg said.
Police said they seized more than $2.4 million in cash over the course of the operation.
VIDEO: Houston Police Department and the Harris County District Attorney's Office news conference
Lam has been a part of the force since 2007 and served as a patrol officer, according to Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo, and the department is working to get him off the HPD payroll as quickly as possible.
“I think he is a disgrace to the badge, a disgrace to the memorial, and when I drive by Memorial and I see that memorial where we know it’s about 114 names on there, it’s a disgrace to the sacrifice of those officers,” Acevedo said. “When you violate a criminal statute and you engage in public corruption, or you engage in any kind of criminal offense, you did not just violate the penal code, you violated public trust, you violated your oath of office and ultimately, you violated the code of conduct that we all raised our hand and swore to."
Acevedo said that despite being saddened that members of the HPD team were arrested, he is proud of the team for holding police officers to the highest standard.
“I just want to point out that our critics would say that police officers get a pass," said Acevedo. “I am here to tell you that in the Houston Police Department and Harris County, we hold everybody accountable, and from our perspective, we’re going to hold our employees (accountable) that didn’t just violate the law, they violated their oath of office.”