Authorities say that a man obtained $865K in markers using a forged check, all of which he promptly lost this week while gambling at the Aria Resort & Casino in Las Vegas.
On Tuesday, Dharma Nadendla, 41, of North Carolina, who was staying at the facility on the Las Vegas Strip, walked to the cashier's cage and produced a $380,000 credit union check. The cashier's cage then gave him casino chips valued at $865K.
According to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD), Ndendla then went on to lose the markers, a type of credit awarded to players, valued at $500K and $365K while playing table games at the Aria.
But in an effort to obtain yet another marker, he went back up to his hotel room at the Aria and contacted the cashier's cage instead of giving up.
At that point, a suspicious employee examined the check and saw that the number on top and the bottom of the credit union check were different. When employees at the Aria called the North Carolina credit union, they were able to verify that the check was bogus, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Nadendla was instructed by the casino staff to visit the gaming floor in order to obtain an additional marker.However, LVMPD officers who had been made aware of the plan by Aria staff members met him as he made his way to the hotel elevator.
According to the Review-Journal, Nadendla was accused of forgery, business burglary, and theft of $100K or more.
He appeared in Las Vegas Justice Court on August 28 after posting bond.
Texas Gaming Association Attacked
During a recent raid of a gambling enterprise, Harris County, Texas deputies recovered six gambling machines and more than $14,584 in cash.
When word spread among the locals that illicit gambling was occurring in the Houston game room, officers started to get suspicious. Undercover deputies visited the unidentified gaming establishment and verified that illicit gambling was taking place there.
Son Van Nguyen and Thanh Van Nguyen, two workers, were accused of having gaming device paraphernalia.
Authorities tell Houston TV station KRIV that there is a connection between unlawful gambling and other crimes.
An official was accused of gambling.
Authorities reported that a public servant from North Carolina was taken into custody earlier this month for suspected drunk driving and gambling.
The 30-year-old director of the Madison County Board of Elections, Jacob Ray, was accused of misdemeanor gambling and driving under the influence.
For the various charges, his court dates are October 7 and August 27.
Madison County Board of Commissioners Chair Matt Wechtel made the arrest public on July 18. He stated that he was initially made aware of the DWI charge on July 14 and the gambling count on July 16.
Additionally, Wechtel told the Asheville Citizen-Times, a local news source, that it was "troubling and extremely disappointing" that he did not learn about the arrests from those working inside the Board of Elections office, but rather from outside sources.
“As soon as the Board of Commissioners was able to confirm the accuracy of the charges, we strongly urged the Board of Elections to take swift and stringent disciplinary actions to ensure the credibility of the Madison County electoral process going forward,” Wechtel said in a statement.