Man arrested for white collar crime of using fake money in casino

Gambling at a casino with free money would be a lot of fun, but not where the ultimate winnings are an all-expenses-paid visit to state prison. A Louisiana man was arrested recently for white collar crime when he was caught trying to pawn off fake $100 dollar bills at the tables at the Boomtown Casino located in Harvey. He put up three $100 bills at a gaming table at the casino but was thwarted by an observant dealer who said that the bills felt ‘funny’.

The dealer called her supervisor, who marked the bills with a counterfeit detection pen and discovered that the money was not authentic, according to police. At that point the accused grabbed the bills and fled to the second floor of the casino. He approached a 28-year-old Harvey woman and gave her nine supposedly counterfeit $100 bills.

The woman put the bills into her bra. When the authorities stopped the woman, she removed the money and turned it over. She later told the state police that the accused approached her and asked her to hold some cash so she stuffed in her bra. It appears that the woman was not arrested, but she’ll probably be put to better use by the police later on if it becomes necessary to identify the accused in court.

The accused re-surfaced in the parking lot where he was trying to start his car when apprehended by a Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s deputy. Police charged him with the white collar crime of forgery, along with illegal use of a counterfeit trademark and monetary instrument abuse. He remains in jail under $30,000 bail.

In Louisiana when a person is accused of white collar crime, he or she will ideally obtain experienced representation as early on as possible. In the reported case, it’s not known if the accused was associated with others in manufacturing false money or if he accidentally and innocently stumbled into the money. His counsel will able to evaluate all of the facts and give sound opinions regarding whether a guilty plea and cooperation would be the best option under these facts.

Source: nola.com, “Harvey man tried to play with counterfeit cash at Boomtown Casino, cops say,” Michelle Hunter, April 9, 2013