Two Men Who Marked Cards to Win $12k at Pittsburgh Casino Avoid Prison Time
Two men who marked cards while gambling at a casino in Pittsburgh and won over $12,000 doing so have avoided prison time. [Image: Shutterstock.com]
A pair of men who cheated a Pittsburgh casino by marking cards have avoided a prison sentence. Serdar Ozmen and Bahri Sahpolat appeared in court on Wednesday and have to serve two years of probation for their crimes.
The gamblers, who reside in Maryland and California, were at the Live! Casino Pittsburgh when they played Mississippi Stud Poker and won more than $12,000.
personnel at the casino noticed irregularities while looking at surveillance footage
Security personnel at the casino noticed irregularities while looking at surveillance footage before confiscating their chips, and law enforcement apprehended the pair on charges of using a cheating device, criminal trespassing, receiving stolen property, and theft.
Ozmen and Sahpolat had remained in custody since their arrest and didn’t plead guilty to any charges. Besides the probation period, they can never re-enter the casino. They can complete an Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition Program as they are first-time offenders, which will get rid of the trespassing charge.
In a statement about the cheating incident, Live! Casino Pittsburgh spokesperson Tom Meinert explained how staff detected the wrongdoing through “sophisticated security measures” and immediately contacted the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board and the Pennsylvania State Police.
