Las Vegas Slots Cheat Gets 5 Year Jail Sentence
August 7, 2012 10:54 amA casino company analyst who masterminded an elaborate scam which netted $863,895 from slot machines has now been sentenced to 57 months behind bars by U.S. District Judge James Mahan. Summing up, the judge commented:
“This is an American tragedy to see you here. You have so much potential. I hope you see this as a positive and turn your life around.”
Tony Ahn had previously worked as an analyst for MGM Mirage, now known as MGM Resorts International, a company which presently owns sixteen casinos in Nevada. However, between July 2009 and July 2010, Ahn used his trusted position within the company to unlawfully win almost a million dollars from slot machines by transferring unused free play points from regular customers to fake players club cards. Tony Ahn then recruited accomplices to use the cards at the company’s casinos, including his brother Danny, and co-conspirators Joseph Ramirez, David Evans and David Pecor.
However, when MGM Mirage’s internal Fraud Control Group unearthed the scheme, they reported it to the Nevada gaming regulators and the FBI leading to the arrest of the men. During the investigation, authorities kept a close eye on the gangs social media posts, and as MGM Resorts International senior vice president of public affairs Alan Feldman explains:
“They were monitoring his activities for several months in conjunction with law enforcement. They pieced this case together very carefully..As people were being questioned, they claimed no knowledge of one another, yet their posts showed otherwise.”
Tony Ahn has now been given a 57 month jail term for his part in the scam, while the other men are still awaiting judgement. In the meantime, the men have agreed to repay the $863,895 they stole, as well as forfeit $30,000 in seized cash, a vehicle, a number of weapons and a laptop computer. After receiving his sentence, Ahn said; “I definitely made a big mistake. There’s no excuse for what I did.”