Puerto Rican authorities have finally filed an indictment against a man they identified as a casino thief last December.Edmanuel Victoria had rigged electronic roulette machines all over the island, but the delay in announcing it to authorities is likely because they believed Victoria wasn't the lone culprit.
Media outlet El Globo reported that the Puerto Rican Department of Justice on Wednesday charged Victoria with manipulating electronic roulette at a tropical casino in Bayamon.He allegedly stole over $43K by tricking machines into repeatedly giving free credits.
But this incident could be much bigger.Victoria, a native Cuban living in Florida, has also been sued for a similar incident at the Marriott Hotel in Condo, Puerto Rico.He may be working for a large crime syndicate.But before he can be prosecuted, authorities must find him.
spin the wheel
Prosecutors say Victoria carried out a fraudulent scheme to visit the casino on two different dates last December, earn fraudulent unlimited bets and collect fraudulent winnings.He is currently facing two counts of fraud and two counts of aggravated squatter in violation of Puerto Rican Penal Code.
The investigation began with the Property and Fraud Division of the San Juan Criminal Investigative Corps.Investigators then decided the case could be bigger than they imagined and was sent to the Justice Department.
As a result, a court judge determined the grounds for arrest and imposed $40 bail on Victoria.He has also been sued in the San Juan District for another scheme that fraudulently collected more than $19,100.The San Juan Court of First Instance confirmed his charges and issued a warrant for his arrest because he missed a preliminary hearing on 12th.
Victoria could be expected to spend a lot of time in prison, depending on how authorities want to proceed.The charges in Bayamon and Condado each carry a prison sentence of three to eight years.
On the run
Whether Victoria deserves a serial sentence or an annexation sentence remains to be decided.But it's pointless at this point, as Victoria is on the run.Investigators in the Bayamon case were able to identify him from casino surveillance footage.However, he escaped before he could be arrested.
Victoria was arrested after Condado's run at Marriott.He was released on bail because the prosecution needed to file a case.However, this could have been a fatal mistake.
If the perpetrator is affiliated with a criminal gang, investigators are likely at a loss to find him, as authorities suspect.He may have already fled somewhere else, or had an ally who could disappear for good.
The advantage of electronic gaming machines (EGMs) is that it is easier for casinos to spot unusual patterns in payouts.This has been a drag on criminals over the years, including a few in Spain.
As such, EGMs are rarely targeted.When casinos report normal patterns, authorities look for connections.In the case of Victoria, it is highly likely that this was the case.If he managed to collect more than $5 on a few occasions with relative ease, there could be hundreds of thousands of dollars stolen.
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