Federal agents arrested several people and detained many more on immigration violations at an Idaho horse racetrack on Sunday as part of a criminal complaint involving illegal horse betting at the facility.
The raid coincided with a public horse race at La Catedral Arena LLC. in Wilder, Idaho, and led to the arrest of the property owner, Ivan Tellez, and three others on federal charges.
Agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detained more than 50 people. Still, it was unclear if they were involved in the illegal gambling or spectators at the race, according to local KTVB 7 television.
The FBI and other law enforcement partners executed a federal search warrant and arrested four people charged in federal complaints: Tellez, 37, of Wilder, Idaho; Samuel Bejarano, 37, of Nyssa, Oregon; Dayana Fajardo, 39, of Nyssa, Oregon, and Alejandro Estrada, 56, of Buhl, Idaho.
🚨Profilo: BREAKING — During the massive federal raid at La Catedral Arena in Wilder, Idaho, over 200 officersfrom the FBI, ICE, DEA, DHS, and local police targeted an alleged illegal horse racing gambling ring. At least 50 people were detained, including owner Ivan Tellez and… pic.twitter.com/WxnEQHpf7l
— Kingsley Chukwuka (@profilopolitics) October 20, 2025
Tellez faces one count of conducting an illegal gambling business under federal law, according to a criminal complaint filed Oct. 15 in U.S. District Court in Boise.
The Salt Lake City FBI’s Boise Resident Agency, in coordination with the Treasure Valley Metro Violent Crime and Gang Task Force, has been investigating the alleged illegal gambling business for months, according to a news release from the FBI.
“Illegal gambling isn’t a victimless crime,” said Special Agent in Charge Robert Bohls of the Salt Lake City FBI. “These operations can create an increase in violent crime, drug activity, and violence, putting communities at risk.”
The FBI received a tip from a private citizen in February 2025 about illegal gambling tied to horse races at the arena, KTVB reported in a breaking story on the raid. FBI Special Agent Jacob Sheridan detailed the investigation in a 14-page affidavit supporting the criminal complaint.
Investigators learned Tellez owns and operates La Catedral Arena on his property at 27410 Peckham Road in Wilder. The facility is one of three registered businesses on the property.
Tellez is accused of running an unlicensed parimutuel betting operation at his facility, American Greatness reported.
Parimutuel betting is a form of wagering commonly used in horse racing where bets of a similar type are pooled together. This type of betting allows for larger potential payouts, and gamblers can bet on multiple aspects of a race rather than just picking the winner.
Tellez holds a conditional use permit from Canyon County to hold horse racing events at La Catedral Arena, according to court documents. His permit from the Idaho Racing Commission specifically prohibits parimutuel events.
Agents also confirmed through the Idaho State Racing Commission that Tellez never applied for a license to conduct parimutuel betting at the facility, KTVB reported.
If convicted, Tellez could face up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release, a $250,000 fine and a $100 special assessment.
Investigators also identified Samuel Bejarano, of Oregon, as the bookmaker and administrator of the gambling operation. Bejarano regularly posted about the illegal wagers on Facebook, including two posts in June showing betting sheets filled with large wagers, KTVB reported.
According to the criminal complaint, financial records show thousands of dollars of bets processed through Venmo, Zelle and Cash App, which were linked to Bejarano’s checking account with Idaho Central Credit Union.
Records for the three payment services showed approximately 36 transactions that investigators believe were wagers for horse racing. They were a small sample from the large volume of transactions conducted through Bejarano’s financial accounts from 2023 to 2025, according to the affidavit.
In addition, an undercover FBI agent attended a horse race at La Catedral Arena and observed betting couriers wearing backpacks and walking around the crowd at the races.
The complaint states there is video footage captured showing Bejarano and Fajardo taking wagers from the undercover agents on horse races, KTVB reported.
A judge signed a warrant on Sept. 17 and federal prosecutors filed charges against Tellez and the others for running the illegal wagering business on Oct. 15.
Sunday’s raid involved 200 law enforcement personnel from federal, state and local agencies descending on the horse arena during a public event, which netted a number of immigration detentions.
A news release stated the Canyon County Sheriff’s Office; Homeland Security Investigations; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations; the Drug Enforcement Administration; Idaho State Police; Idaho Department of Corrections; Nampa Police Department; Caldwell Police Department; and FBI Seattle and Portland field offices assisted in the operation.
“I’m grateful for the collaboration and partnerships on the federal, state, and local level,” Bohls said. “Together, we’re working to keep our communities safe.”
Witnesses at the event said that people were getting zip-tied by masked officers from several different agencies. ICE detained at least 50 and possibly as many as 100 people for immigration processing, KTVB reported.
Some people were released while other detainees were taken to Boise or Mountain Home for processing, immigration attorney Nikki Ramirez told KTVB. The ACLU and immigration attorneys criticized the raid during a public event and expressed concern that families were being separated.
