Luck appears to have run out for gambling den in Excelsior
San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera filed a lawsuit on Monday accusing five people of running an illegal gambling den for years in the city’s Excelsior neighborhood.
The suit, filed in San Francisco Superior Court, alleges that the property owners and managers of the building at 4182 Mission St. have been operating illegal video gambling machines since at least 2014.
According to the city’s complaint, the property attracted “criminal and nuisance activity to the surrounding community, necessitating police intervention.” Those activities include the use and sale of methamphetamine and stolen vehicles, and den patrons wanted on outstanding warrants.
Residents who lived nearby described the building as a magnet for alarming and at times apparently illicit activities.
“It was the worst place in the world,” said a man who would only give his first name, Ed, out of concern about potential retribution from the building’s owners. He has a clear view of the building from his home on Ney Street. “In the middle of the night, there would be people coming out yelling and screaming, I don’t know what went on in there. I’m just so happy it’s closed,” he said.
San Francisco police execut-
ed search warrants at the building twice, in November 2016 and October 2017, seizing gambling machines and making arrests, but the alleged operation kept cropping back up, Herrera said in a statement.
“It’s been an ongoing problem for years,” said Supervisor Ahsha Safai, who represents the Excelsior. “We’ve gotten a lot of complaints, and we’re very, very happy that the city attorney is sending a strong message here.”
Patricia De Fonte, who serves as captain of the Ney Street Neighborhood Watch, said in a text message that she and her community group were “thrilled” that the operation had been shut down, “after years of what we thought was drug and gambling activity” taking place there.
She said she hopes a new business will eventually set up shop at 4182 Mission, “maybe a coffee shop or a bakery — a place for neighbors to meet, and a business we would be proud to support.”
The city believes that gambling operations have ceased since the October raid, but Herrera said he hopes to make the closure permanent by going after “the building (the defendants own) and their wallets.”
“This gambling den is like a weed,” he said. “It has been cut down before. Now we’re pulling out the roots to ensure it doesn’t come back.” Herrera has taken a similar approach in the past to enforcement efforts against alleged brothels in the city.
The building, known as the Silver Shack, had been registered with the city as a thrift store under other names, including Jhec of All Trades and later Leisure Time. A phone number listed online for Jhec of All Trades had been disconnected.
Looking through the building’s smeared windows, the interior appeared bare save for some art on the walls, orphaned office furniture and a soda vending machine. A sign posted on the front door directed anyone interested in renting the building to call someone named Angelica. The number led to a voice mail for Jhec of All Trades. A message seeking comment was not immediately returned.
According to the city attorney, anyone wanting to visit the Silver Shack needed only to knock on the front door, which was generally manned by a security guard. Patrons would then be led next door to the gambling terminals.
In addition to accusing the five defendants — building owner Eduardo Bato, and managers and operators Angelica Bato, Malcolm Vasquez, Kenneth Gurriere and Orlando Leonor — with violating gambling laws, Herrera’s suit also asks the court to close down the Silver Shack for one year or for damages equal to the fair market value of the building for one year. The defendants are also accused of violating city building and planning codes.
The city is seeking $25,000 in civil penalties against each defendant and a number of additional penalties.