Corpus Christi Crónica founder faces charges connected to illegal gambling raid
(This story was updated to add new information.)
Police have served 37-year-old Eric Tunchez, founder of the Corpus Christi Crónica, with arrest warrants connected to an illegal gambling operation.
Detectives with the Corpus Christi Police Department Narcotics and Vice Investigations Division were following up on a search warrant executed on May 8 at Lucky Panda Game Room in the 5200 block of Ayers Street when they found that Tunchez had outstanding warrants, according to a news release published on May 21 by senior officer Jennifer Collier.
Tunchez faces five charges: engaging in organized criminal activity — a state jail felony punishable by up to two years in jail and a maximum $10,000 fine — and Class A misdemeanors of keeping a gambling place, gambling promotion, possession of gambling equipment and intent to operate a game room in violation of regulations.
Although police filed the charges in Nueces County, Tunchez explained in a phone interview with the Caller-Times on May 22 that he turned himself in to the San Patricio County Jail on May 21 after police notified him on May 16 that he had arrest warrants. He said he was released from jail on personal recognizance bonds.
Police and court records on Tunchez's arrest were not available as of May 22.
During the phone interview, he denied the charges, saying that he believes them to be politically motivated because he is considering running for public office.
He added that the charges target his work as a consultant who helps game room owners or small business owners navigate the legal process to obtain certificates of occupancy through the Corpus Christi Development Services Department and game room permits under the Nueces County game room ordinance.
Tunchez did not confirm the name of the consulting firm, nor the status of the game room's permit.
He said he is weighing options on filing a lawsuit against the city.
'I'm working with my legal team to clear my name at this point, but I don't want that to distract from my mission,' he said.
Tunchez's online news publication, based in Corpus Christi, began as a Facebook page in 2020. It has garnered more than 300,000 followers.
In addition to the 52 patrons whom police officers cited for gambling misdemeanors during the search and investigation of the Lucky Panda Game Room on May 8, they also found and seized 145 illegal gambling components and more than $26,000 in U.S. currency and arrested four employees on gambling charges.
On May 7, police raided the Lucky Spot Game Room on the 4100 block of Weber Road, where detectives found and seized 13 items of illegal gambling equipment and more than $6,500 in U.S. currency. Police arrested an employee and charged her with violation of the Nueces County game room ordinance, among other charges.
In the follow-up investigation on May 21, detectives also arrested a 50-year-old woman on five outstanding warrants, according to a police department news release.
Tunchez was previously sentenced to probation for the Class A misdemeanor of promotion of prostitution, Nueces County records show. He was granted early termination of his probation in 2024.
He was also arrested in 2020 on suspicion of assaulting his elderly stepfather but ultimately was not charged in that case, Nueces County records show.
More: Here's what Corpus Christi City Council candidate Eric Tunchez says about his arrests
More: Corpus Christi police raid illegal game rooms on city's Southside
This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: Corpus Christi Crónica founder arrested on charges related to game room operation
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