Police in Salem, New Hampshire are looking for a man who allegedly passed off homemade poker chips at Chaser’s Poker Room and Casino.
Security images posted to the department’s Facebook page show the man playing at a roulette table at the property.
“Some may think this is comical, some may think, ‘what’s the issue with that?” police noted in the post.
“Well, the issue is it’s a crime. Could be fraud, could be theft by deception, could be a lot of things. We don’t have to get into the boring law talk of the law enforcement world.”
The department was a bit cheeky in asking the public to help apprehend the suspect.
“Does anyone know him from a pottery class?” the Facebook post said. “Maybe a paint and sip party? Maybe a crafting class in the area? Who knows where this man’s creativity ends.”
Fake Chips Becoming An Unfortunate Trend
Attempts at counterfeiting casino chips have been popular with recent casino crime.
Just a few weeks ago, Texas Card House in Dallas recently busted some players attempting to pass off fake chips at the poker social club’s cage. Club management reported that the chips were “highly convincing” and are working with authorities to prosecute those involved.
In 2013 at the Borgata Winter Poker Open, Christian Lusardi used 160 counterfeit chips as part of his chip stack in one of the property’s tournaments. Staff discovered when players suspected fake chips in play late in the tournament. The event was eventually suspended with 27 players remaining.
Afterwards, plumbers at Harrah’s uncovered counterfeit Borgata poker chips that Lusardi flushed down the toilet. He eventually received five years in state prison and the 27 players left in the tournament received $19,323 each.
The same year as the Lusardi ordeal, U.S. Vice Admiral Timothy Giardina was busted for using fake chips to play poker at the Horseshoe Casino in Council Bluffs, Iowa. At the time, the three-star admiral was the deputy head of U.S. Strategic Command, second in command of the nuclear arsenal, and one of the Navy’s most senior leaders.
Giardina was later found guilty of two counts of conduct unbecoming an officer – lying to an investigator and passing fake gambling chips. As part of his punishment, Giardina was demoted from three-star to two-star admiral, given a written reprimand, forfeited $4,000 in pay, and was fired from his post at Strategic Command.
Giardina admitted to using the chips, but denied knowing they were counterfeit. However, investigators found traces of his DNA underneath stickers on the chips used to alter their value.
