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StumbleBarred from casinos, alleged scammers closer to trial
Thursday, Sept. 17, 2009 | 11:41 a.m.
William Cushing
Michael McNeive
The case against three alleged casino scammers is one step closer to going to trial.
William Cushing, Michael McNeive and Susan Lewanda are accused of possessing a cheating device, conspiracy to cheat at gambling and use of a cheating device in a slot machine. The trio allegedly used the scam at several Las Vegas casinos, including Boulder Station and Fiesta Rancho, in 2006.
At a hearing this morning, District Court Judge Douglas Herndon said a trial date will be scheduled after the next status check and evidentiary hearing, which is set for Sept. 29.
Police reports indicate surveillance videos show Cushing and Lewanda would stand watch at slot machines while McNeive inserted $1 bills and forged them as $100 bills using the cheating device.
Cushing and McNeive are in Nevada's List of Excluded Persons, otherwise known as the Black Book, and are barred from the state's casinos.
According to Gaming Control Board records, Cushing, 57, was first arrested in 1984 and has been arrested numerous times for gaming crimes in Nevada and other states. McNeive, 68, was first arrested by the Nevada Gaming Control Board in 1996 and has been arrested for gaming-related crimes, including cheating slot machines, numerous times.
The Black Book was created in 1960 to battle organized crime in Nevada casinos. People can only be removed from the list if they die or if the commission determines that they shouldn’t have been listed. People on the list who enter a casino or any casino that knowingly allows an excluded person to enter face gross misdemeanor charges.
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I always admire people who come up with these ideas to cheat the casinos! I would never do it but you gotta hand it to these people. Wonder how they come up with these "systems".
This reminds me of two past events,
1) When Benny Binion got all that bad press over security alledgedly handling some troublemakers a number of years ago behind something similiar at the Horseshoe, and having that HUGE-FREE Concert for all those lucky enough to get tickets in time (I did) at Thomas and Mack w/George Jones, Johnny Cash and several others,..
2) When those slot techs beat that cheats fingers into lunchmeat with the hammer in the movie "Casino"...ahhh....those were the days.....
The Black Book? I thought it was the player's card. Oh, the card is the precursory to the book.
"a trial date will be scheduled after the next status check" well, if they're not citizens deport them.
Yes, I am just having fun.
Wonder how many times this scam worked before they busted them ? There old and obviously they wasted there lives away concentrating on how to get something for nothing, instead of trying to make an honest buck. Hopefully, after they do there time they wont get out and do something worse
If they really want to make a lot of money in Vegas by ripping people off, they should have opened their own casino. At least that way it is legal.