CROWN POINT | Authorities say two casino customers were up against more than bad luck when they lost their money last month.
The Lake County prosecutor's office charged Shadie M. Alameria, 25, of Tinley Park, Ill., and Karen Pinsky, 63, of Hammond, with committing theft at the Majestic Star Casinos in Gary.
Nick Rentas of the Indiana Gaming Commission said a customer playing poker about 11 p.m. July 14 had to leave the table momentarily. Casino rules required him to leave his chips, worth $160, behind. He found them missing when he returned.
Rentas said video from a surveillance camera shows Alameria scooping the chips off the table with his left hand while the victim was away and leaving the building minutes later.
Curtis Waldrop, of the gaming commission, alleges a female customer playing a slot machine about 1 a.m. July 17, left her wallet behind when she moved to another area of the casinos.
Waldrop said a surveillance camera shows Pinsky sitting down at the same machine two minutes later, unzipping the wallet, removing money from it and turning it over to a casino attendant.
The victim later reported her wallet missing, recovered it from the casinos and claimed 10 $100 bills were missing from it.
Waldrop said he and other investigators questioned Pinsky when she return to the casinos six days later.
She first denied taking any money, then admitted taking only one $100 bill.
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