Posted on 10/07/2009 7:26:20 PM PDT by malkee
He's been jobless and living on Social Security disability income for 15 years, yet Andre Michael Nestor told District Judge Jay Weller yesterday he had access to $400,000 cash to bail himself and a friend out of jail.
That amount represents slightly less than what Mr. Nestor and two friends are accused of stealing from The Meadows Racetrack and Casino, in what officials have characterized as one of the biggest casino heists ever.
It is certainly the largest in Pennsylvania, Washington County District Attorney Steven Toprani said yesterday during a news conference to announce county grand jury indictments of Mr. Nestor, 38, and his roommate Kerry Laverde, 49, of Swissvale, and Patrick Loushil, 42, of Brookline.
The trio were arraigned late yesterday in front of Judge Weller in North Strabane, Washington County, where he set bail at $100,000 for Mr. Loushil, and $200,000 apiece for Mr. Nestor and Mr. Laverde, a former Swissvale police officer who said he is employed as a police officer for the Forbes Regional Hospital.
Mr. Nestor and Mr. Laverde face 367 felony counts of theft, receiving stolen property, criminal conspiracy, computer trespassing and other charges in what Mr. Toprani called a "sophisticated scheme" to exploit a software glitch in one of the slot machines that allowed them to make the machine generate false, double jackpots. The machine was one reserved for high rollers, a reference to customers who gamble large stakes.
(Excerpt) Read more at post-gazette.com ...
So, when the sleazy casinos rig the games in their favor, it’s buisness, but if they rig them in the public’s favor, it’s the public’s fault?
I say scr#w the casino here. Tough luck, pal.
If they punked a slot machine without outright tampering, and nothing forbade them to, it’s the casino’s bad. They should keep the money and the casino should fix the problem.
No crime committed. Let them go. In fact, congratulate them. Give them an award of some kind.
I wonder if this machine was used to transfer funds to ‘high rollers’ and the problem is that an ordinary citizen got money intended for someone else.
If I was running the defense, I think I’d demand records on who normally played the machine, and what those results were.
Yeah, the “glitch” intentionally used by the casino to reward their best customers.
Like John Murtha?
Looks to me like he did nothing wrong.
If he didn’t tamper with the machine, the jackpots are his to keep. I hope the jury sees the injustice of the charges. How can it be legal for a “high roller” and not for everyone else? (14th ammendment, equal protection case)
The disturbing thing here is that this fellow has been on SSI disability for 15 years but obviously has the mental and physical ability to pull off an operation such as this. Couldn’t have he for the last 15 years found some gainful employment or is it easier just to feed out of the taxpayer provided trough?
Yep, very often Social Security Disablity = Scam.
And don’t expect any investigation into why he’s been on “disability” for 15 years.
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