Two more plead guilty in big slot cheating case

Friday, Dec. 4, 1998 | 11:30 a.m.

The pleas came two days after the cheating ring's mastermind, Dennis Nikrasch, pleaded guilty to four charges and agreed to show authorities how he rigged the machines.

Nikrasch, 57, is one of four defendants in the case, but prosecutors said they plan to bring charges against other suspects early next year.

Also charged are Ronnie McElveen, 60, Eugene Bulgarino, 65, and his wife, Joan, 66.

McElveen, a Louisiana resident, pleaded guilty Thursday to the same four charges involved in McAndrew's guilty pleas. Joan Bulgarino pleaded guilty Thursday to conspiracy and agreed to cooperate with authorities.

Eugene Bulgarino is involved in plea negotiations and is scheduled to appear in court Monday.

McElveen's attorney, Louis Palazzo, said FBI agents did something unusual in their investigation of the cheating scheme: They surreptitiously planted a microphone in the Bulgarinos' Las Vegas home to record conversations that took place there.

According to court documents, the cheating conspiracy began around April 1995. The documents describe the four defendants as the core members of the cheating ring.

Court documents specifically describe McElveen as a national horse racing tout who acted as a "camera man" for the group, surveying slot machines across the country to find those that might be vulnerable.

Palazzo disputed that claim. The attorney noted that prosecutors have linked the group to 10 fraudulent jackpots, and all of those were hit at Las Vegas casinos.

"He's basically like a lookout guy," Palazzo said of his client. "His role as compared to the others was very minimal."

Court documents describe Joan Bulgarino as a blocker and lookout for the group. The documents claim she also participated in planning.

Sentencing for the three defendants who have entered guilty pleas is scheduled for March 5 before Senior U.S. District Judge Lloyd George.

Nikrasch also was convicted in 1986 of participating in a slot machine cheating ring that illegally won $10 million at Las Vegas casinos. He went to prison and was released on parole in January 199