Man charged with allegedly passing fake casino chips

Jen Lawson

Friday, July 16, 2004 | 9:26 a.m.

A 45-year-old Las Vegas man was arrested Wednesday and charged with allegedly passing counterfeit casino chips at downtown casinos, a crime not attempted often because it's difficult to duplicate the logos on the chips, a gaming official said.

Leonard Martin Stone, also known as Leonard Morgan Hairston, was charged by the Nevada State Gaming Control Board with manufacturing and possessing a cheating device and burglary, all felonies.

He committed the alleged crimes in December and a warrant was issued for his arrest.

According to the police report, Stone passed two counterfeit $25 Palms chips at the Fremont Hotel-Casino on Dec. 30. A cage cashier who was preparing to send chips from other casinos back to their respective properties noticed the fakes the next day.

The edges were peeling off and when the cashier peeled back the Palms logo, he found a Dunes logo underneath. The Dunes closed in 1993.

Stone allegedly tried to pass another counterfeit $25 Palms chip Dec. 31 at Fitzgerald's, but a cashier noticed it was fake and called casino security.

As security officers approached him, Stone turned and ran but was caught. Officers found two fake $100 Hard Rock chips and three bogus $100 chips bearing Bellagio, Mandalay Bay and Luxor logos.

When questioned in the security office, Stone said he had gotten the chips from friends, and that he used the money he obtains from passing the counterfeit chips to buy drugs, according to the police report.

He admitted to bilking the Fremont out of a total of $125 by passing fake Palms chips, the report says.

Investigators searched Stone's personal belongings and the report says they found a paint brush, acrylic paint bottle, glue stock, scissors and sheets of photocopied casino chip inserts.

Stone allegedly tried to flee from the security office and during an ensuing struggle, he hit his forehead and suffered a small cut, the arrest report notes.

He was taken to University Medical Center for treatment and because he was expected to be there for at least six hours, he was released from custody and a warrant was issued so he could be taken into custody at a later date.

Fake casino chips "aren't something we see often, but it's something we are very cautious of," said Keith Copher, chief of enforcement for the state gaming control board. "It's very difficult to counterfeit them because it's difficult to match the colors exactly."

Counterfeits stand out among the real chips, he said. Casino workers are trained in how to spot fakes and they're always looking for them.

Convictions for manufacturing or possessing counterfeit cheating devices carry penalties of up to six years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000 on each count.