$24M San Pedro-Based Casino Empire Crumbles Following News 5 Investigation 

American casino operator Rima Ray, known in Belize as the owner of Caribi Bleu Casino in San Pedro, is behind bars in the United States facing charges related to fraud, illegal gambling, and the operation of an unauthorised gaming business.

Ray’s arrest in July after a traffic stop revealed over three hundred thousand U.S. dollars in cash inside his Tesla.

Police bodycam footage released this week shows the moment officers uncovered the cash, which Ray, a transgender man, claimed came from selling part of his casino business in Belize.

Twenty days later, he was booked in Sumter County on a fifty-thousand-dollar bond and charged with fraud and illegal gambling.

The arrest follows a months-long U.S. investigation, but the name first surfaced in Belize in 2024 after News Five exposed irregularities at Caribi Bleu Casino, exactly one year ago on November 6.

News 5’s investigation prompted Belizean authorities to launch their own probe into Ray’s operations.

That investigation revealed an unauthorised ATM dispensing U.S. currency and raised questions about his growing list of golf cart permits on the island.

The Central Bank of Belize and the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) later launched probes into the operation, though Ray faced no charges at the time.

The Ministry of Finance revoked the gaming licence for GMK Sky Limited, the company operating Caribi Bleu Casino.

A July 25th statement advised the public not to engage in any business with the entity and ordered all operations to cease immediately.

Reports now value Ray’s illegal operations at $24 million US dollars. He is set to be prosecuted under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization Act.