13/05/2006 00:00
Shoddy oversight let alleged casino thefts go undetected
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TUCSON, Ariz. A report by state gaming investigators says a Tucson casino employee was able to make and cash fake winning slots tickets for years because of the casino's shoddy oversight and lax work procedures
Mark Anthony Valenzuela worked at the Pasqua Yaqui (PAHZ'-kwah YAH'-kee) tribe's Casino Del Sol and faces federal charges that he stole nearly 270-thousand dollars over four years. He was in federal court yesterday and was ordered released without bail. He faces 20 years in prison and a one million dollar fine if convicted.
He's accused of opening slot machines he was supposed to be fixing and printing the winning tickets.
An Arizona Department of Gaming report says the casino's lax oversight and supervision let the alleged crimes go on for years. They were only discovered last May after someone tried to cash four winning tickets printed within minutes of each other and a cashier got suspicious.
source:KVOA Tucson
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