WILDER (Idaho Statesman) — Assisted by a wealth of law enforcement agencies, the FBI raided a property in Wilder on Sunday during an investigation into alleged illegal horse betting at a track, and Idaho advocates said that immigrants were targeted at the scene.
Online records show that a federal criminal complaint filed by FBI Special Agent Jacob Sheridan said the agency was investigating a horse racetrack in Wilder over suspicion of gambling at a place known as La Catedral Arena, located at 27410 Peckham Road.
Property owner Ivan Tellez has a conditional use permit from Canyon County to hold horse races at La Catedral, but he does not hold a betting license, according to the FBI complaint.
FBI spokesperson Sandra Barker confirmed to the Idaho Statesman that the FBI conducted “court-authorized activity” in Wilder on Sunday, but declined to provide additional information. The Canyon County Sheriff’s Office also confirmed it had deputies there, but would not comment further.
However, Sunday night the FBI issued a press release confirming that “approximately 200 law enforcement personnel” from 10 different agencies participated in the serving of the search warrant. The FBI said four people who were named in the federal complaint were taken into custody:
- Tellez, 37, of Wilder.
- Samuel Bejarano, 37, of Nyssa, Oregon.
- Dayana Fajardo, 39, of Nyssa.
- Alejandro Estrada, 56, of Buhl.
The FBI raided a property in Wilder on Sunday | Courtesy KIVI Idaho News 6
The FBI did not identify other arrests.
Estefanía Mondragón, executive director of PODER of Idaho, told the Idaho Statesman that her organization had members at the scene who said Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents were there, and the FBI release confirmed that.
People arrived to protest the activity, according to Mondragón, and they were fired upon with rubber bullets by law enforcement. ACLU representatives said at a meeting in Wilder on Sunday night that rubber bullets were used.
Mondragón told the Statesman that people who were not involved in the alleged illegal betting operation also were detained.
“This is absolutely ridiculous that we arrest and corral people into buses and separate them from their families,” Mondragón said by phone. “I’ve been on the brink of crying. I can’t believe it’s happening in Idaho. We’re a tight-knit community and these are our neighbors that we’re going after. It’s heartbreaking and a betrayal to our families here.”
A private citizen tipped off local FBI agents in February 2025 about alleged gambling at the track, according to the complaint filed on Oct. 15. That document, filed in U.S. District Court in Idaho, said that Tellez owned the property and ran the horse races.
At La Catedral, people could place bets on races via parimutuel wagering, according to the complaint — the kind of betting done at tracks around the United States, and formerly done at Les Bois Park in Garden City before it was shuttered a decade ago. It means similar bets are pooled together for potentially larger payouts, and people can bet on more than just the winner of the race, the complaint said.
Tellez, who is a permanent resident and in the U.S. legally, the complaint said, never applied for a license to host that type of betting. In fact, his event permit application included a letter from the Idaho Racing Commission prohibiting that type of gambling, according to the filing.
“The applicant states that there will be no provisions for betting or pari-mutuel activities on the subject properties,” Canyon County’s finding of facts said. ” … Race date events are not sanctioned pari-mutuel races and not approved for wagering/gambling activities.”
The lights on police cars still flash near La Catedral Arena after the FBI raided a property in Wilder, Idaho on Sunday. | Sally Krutzig, Idaho Statesman
Parimutuel betting is allowed in some circumstances in Idaho, although gambling in the state is generally not allowed. Unlicensed gambling is prohibited, the complaint said.
Bejarano, whom the complaint alleges is the bookmaker and administrator of the operation, received gambling wagers via services such as Venmo and Zelle. The complaint said he posted about horse race betting on Facebook multiple times.
Investigators searched his payment apps for notes that read “quiniela,” a type of bet involving picking the top two finishers in a race, the complaint said. Law enforcement officials said they found 36 such transactions totalling $17,000 in wagers, which they think is a fraction of the overall total.
Tellez has deposited about $100,000 into the La Catedral Arena accounts at Zions Bank over the past two years, the complaint said. Officials at the bank questioned the source of the funds going into three accounts, according to the FBI.
“TELLEZ did not provide a definitive answer to the loan officers on the source of funds,” the complaint said. “TELLEZ appears to have unexplained income and is likely profiting from the illegal gambling operation taking place at La Catedral Arena.”
The FBI release said that among the other agencies involved in the raid were the Caldwell and Nampa police departments; Idaho State Police; the Idaho Department of Correction; and Homeland Security Investigations.
“Illegal gambling isn’t a victimless crime,” Special Agent in Charge Robert Bohls of the Salt Lake City FBI said in the release. “These operations can create an increase in violent crime, drug activity, and violence, putting communities at risk.”
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