Slot cheat nominated to Nevada Black Book

By Liz Benston (contact)

Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2002 | 10:55 a.m.

The suspected ringleader of a slot cheating gang that made off with millions of dollars and was considered a threat to the nation's casino industry has been nominated for inclusion in Nevada's infamous "Black Book."

The Gaming Control Board is expected to recommend nominating Tommy Glenn Carmichael to the Black Book based on his record of four prior felonies -- three of which are gaming related, said Jennifer Carvalho, a deputy in the Attorney General's Gaming Division who will be advising the board.

The recommendation will also be based on Carmichael's alleged association with two other people who are already listed in the Black Book, Carvalho said.

The Black Book -- a term used to describe Nevada regulators' List of Excluded Persons -- is aimed at banning criminals and undesirables from Nevada casinos for life.

Federal court documents show that Carmichael admitted to his association with indicted slot cheats Ramon David Pereira and Michael David Balsamo.

Pereira, who has been called a "career criminal" with more than thirty arrests for the use and manufacture of cheating devices, cheating at gambling and burglary, was put on the list in March 2001. Balsamo, who has six convictions for cheating slot machines, was placed on the list in November 1999.

Carmichael, along with five other local residents, was indicated on charges of running a national slot cheating ring that authorities believe cost casinos more than $5 million.

The ring crafted homemade cheating devices that they sold and used themselves in casinos across the country. The group also was in the process of developing a computerized device that could rig slot machines by remote control and without apparent tampering. Carmichael pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in 2000 to engaging in an illegal gambling business and agreed to testify against his co-defendants in exchange for a reduced sentence.

Carmichael is now out of prison and believed to be in Oklahoma. He could not be reached for comment. An attorney representing Carmichael also could not be reached.

If the Control Board votes to nominate Carmichael to the list at its regularly scheduled meeting Thursday, he will have 30 days after being served by mail to demand a hearing before the Nevada Gaming Commission.

The Nevada Gaming Commission would have the final say on whether to include Carmichael in the Black Book.

Black Book persons are guilty of a "gross misdemeanor" just for stepping into a Nevada casino.

An inclusion in the Black Book is fairly rare, with only one person joining the list a year. The list now includes 37 people.