On Feb. 4, 2020, four former employees of a tribal casino located in Miami, Florida, pleaded guilty to charges that they conspired to steal money from Miccosukee Resort & Gaming. They additionally entered guilty pleas to conspiracy charges related to money laundering and computer fraud, and their spouses also pleaded guilty on money laundering conspiracy charges. All of the defendants will be sentenced at some point in the early spring, and the penalties could include having to spend up to 20 years in a federal prison.
The former employees were workers in the casino’s video game area, and they had been accused of tampering with the computer components in slot machines and other electronic games that paid out cash. They would pretend to be repairing the machines, but instead they were allegedly able to make the devices record false coin deposits. They were then able to obtain fake vouchers which were subsequently turned in for cash at the casino cashier or or at its voucher machines located on the floor.
Their spouses were accused of opening up bank accounts throughout Miami-Dade County and depositing the resulting sums. The casino resort is owned by the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida, which is one of the two Native American tribes that have permits to operate gaming facilities in the state of Florida.
A conviction on embezzlement and other white-collar crime charges can result in substantial penalties, including lengthy periods of incarceration and substantial fines. Accordingly, people who are facing these types of charges might find it advisable to meet with a criminal defense attorney as soon as possible so that a strategy to combat the allegations can be constructed.
