Deputy Gets 15 Months for Extortion in Illegal Gambling Case

MIDLAND, Texas — A former sheriff’s deputy in West Texas must serve 15 months in prison for extorting money from illegal gambling operations and tipping the businesses off to investigations.

Prosecutors say former Ector County Sheriff’s Deputy David Oscar Limon was sentenced Thursday in Midland. He was also fined $13,200.

Texas law bans casino-style gambling. Some private game rooms are set up with slot-like machines, but cash prizes are illegal.

Investigators say Limon extorted more than $13,000 from several game room operators in Odessa while he was a deputy from 2010 to mid-2016. Prosecutors say he promised information about pending law enforcement actions as part of protecting the game rooms.

Limon resigned shortly before his June 2016 arrest. Limon pleaded guilty in May to affecting commerce by extortion.