Hitchcock Mayor Arrested For Facilitating Gambling, Prostitution and Drug Trafficking

Hitchcock Mayor Christopher Armacost was arrested last week as part of a raid on illegal gambling venues across Galveston County, Texas. Authorities alleged the city is complicit in the illegal gambling operations, which also facilitate prostitution and drug trafficking.

Galveston County Sheriff Jimmy Fullen said authorities seized 749 gaming machines, more than $417,000 in cash, and eight firearms as they carried out raids on 20 establishments.

One venue was Comfort Zone Washateria, a laundromat owned by Mayor Armacost. At the coin-operated laundry business, authorities seized five illegal gaming machines.

“It’s not just your mom and pop gaming places. It brings a criminal element. You got prostitution, illegal narcotics trafficking … you saw we had the weapons that we recovered from some of these places,” Fullen said.

Mayor Ignored Warnings, Hid Illegal Activities

Fullen alleged the city of Hitchcock is getting roughly $800,000-$900,000 annually from the illegal game rooms, while Armacost himself is also taking proceeds from machines at his business.

The mayor met with Fullen in October, but denied that he had any involvement in illegal gaming. The sheriff, however, says he was misled, stating, “In fact, what the mayor told me during that meeting was that they were doing every effort they can to reduce the number of [game room] permits they were going to issue within the city of Hitchcock, down to, I believe the number was eight. As you can see, we hit 20 establishments, so clearly that wasn’t the case.”

The mayor said he will defend the charges as a private citizen. His attorney Nicholas Poehl released a statement on his behalf to Houston Public Media, commenting, “I have been charged by the state with offenses as a private citizen and business owner. Neither my work as mayor for the City of Hitchcock, nor my work as an administrator for Hitchcock Independent School District have been implicated in these charges.”

He added, “It is with that in mind that I intend to defend myself as a private citizen, and decline to fight this case in the media. This case will be resolved in court, as is right and proper.”

Last year, the Sheriff’s office conducted a raid on another illegal gambling business in Galveston County, seizing over $1.5 million in cash, 81 gambling machines, and making six arrests.  

Fullen met with Armacost shortly after that raid and warned him that Hitchcock needed to take action. He stated, “We told him the city needed to try to clean up their own problem, but then the complaints kept coming to our office. So, we finally went ahead and initiated an investigation.”

City Cooperating With Investigation

In a statement released on Facebook, the City of Hitchcock said it is cooperating with the investigation and providing authorities with access to evidence.

“The City takes these allegations very seriously,” said Marie Gelles, City Manager. “We are dedicated to maintaining the highest standards of integrity and public trust. We will continue to assist law enforcement in every way possible while ensuring that essential city services remain uninterrupted for our residents.”

In total, twenty-three people have been arrested in the case. Armacost also serves as assistant superintendent at Hitchcock Independent School District. A spokesperson said that the 44-year-old remains an employee of the school district, which is “reviewing all applicable information.”