Lucky Leopard Lounge Part of Gambling Bust Involving the Former Smithville Police Chief

Investigators from the Bastrop County Sheriff’s Office and Fayette County Sheriff’s Office shut down two illegal game rooms last week. They arrested three people from Smithville and La Grange on charges related to illegal gambling.

Michael Joseph Maugere Jr., 55 of Smithville, Chasity Robinson, 36 of Smithville, and Michael Edward Burgess, 35 of La Grange, were arrested for engaging in organized criminal activity.

Investigators executed search warrants on Oct. 14 at two game rooms, one near Smithville and another in La Grange. A statement from the Bastrop County Sheriff’s Office said the search warrants stemmed from a three-month-long investigation into illegal gambling at the two locations. The statement said undercover agents gambled at the Smithville location on numerous occasions and received cash payouts, which is against the law in Texas.

Fayette County Chief Deputy Randy Noviskie said the Bastrop County Sheriff’s Office began investigating the game room near Smithville. Noviskie said they later learned that the same group of people were running a game room in La Grange. Noviskie said Bastrop County investigators worked with Fayette County narcotics officers and discovered illegal gambling at the La Grange as well.

Investigators seized multiple computer gaming devices, documents and currency at both locations.

One of the suspects, Michael Maugere Jr., is the former Smithville Police Chief. A report in the Austin American Statesman from June of last year said Maugere resigned as chief to pursue work in the private sector. At that time, the Statesman said, Maugere had accepted a position with the private security firm Drogue Global Security Solutions in Austin.

The La Grange game room was known as the Lucky Leopard Lounge, located in the Riverside Shopping Center.