Search Observer-Reporter

Search Archive

10/6/2009 3:03 PM

Email this article • Print this article  

Observer-Reporter

This article has been read 3125 times.

Three Pittsburgh men were arrested Tuesday in connection with a sophisticated theft scheme in which they compromised a slot machine at The Meadows Racetrack & Casino to fraudulently claim $400,000 in winnings over a two month period.

During a press conference at The Meadows, Washington County District Attorney Steven Toprani described the crime as one of the single largest slot machine thefts in the history of casino gaming.

Arrested and arraigned before District Judge Jay Weller in North Strabane Township were Andre M. Nestor, 37, of 103 Chalmers St., Pittsburgh; Kerry A. Laverde, 49, a former Swissvale police officer, also of Chalmers St.; and Patrick B. Loushil, 42, of 351 Brookline Blvd.

Toprani and state police said the men visited the North Strabane Township casino 14 times over a two-month period beginning in June, posing as “high rollers.” He said the men compromised a poker machine in the casino’s high limit room and caused a machine to malfunction by exploiting a glitch in the machine’s software to display a false jackpot.

Rate This Story:
1 the lowest - 5 the highest

• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5

Current rating:

*************************

Officials from the state police, state gaming control board and The Meadows Racetrack & Casino will hold a press conference at 4 p.m. today at The Meadows to announce the arrests of three people in a sophisticated theft scheme targeting the North Strabane Township casino.


Home

1 comments

Interesting? : 10/6/2009
Seems to me that if there is a "glitch in the machine's software" that caused false jackpots, the liability would lie in the hands of the machine vendors, not the machine players.

Geoff Z.

---

All comments will be reviewed by administrators and posted to their respective articles within 24 hours. Comments deemed inappropriate will not be posted.

Subject:
Body:
Poster:

Enter text seen above: