Miccosukee Tribe Sues Insurer for $5M Stolen in ‘Ghost Credit’ Scam

Posted on: December 21, 2022, 11:36h. 

Last updated on: December 21, 2022, 12:43h.

The Miccosukee Tribe of Florida is suing its insurance provider, Great American Insurance Company, for failing to pay out on the theft of over $5 million from its casino.

Miccosukee Casino
A group of dishonest slots technicians at the Miccosukee Casino & Resort in western Miami-Dade County, pictured, tampered with gaming machines so that they printed out false winning tickets. (Image: NBC)

The tribe was a victim of an elaborate embezzlement scheme engineered by video-gaming machine technicians at its Miccosukee Casino & Resort in western Miami-Dade County.

The alleged mastermind, Lester Lavin, was convicted in 2020 of theft, computer fraud, and money laundering, along with four other technicians and three of their spouses.

Lavin was discovered to have created bogus slots credit vouchers that could be exchanged for cash via the cage and at ATMs on the gaming floor.

He and his associates obtained $5.3 million in payouts before an anonymous tip alerted casino officials to the scam.

Slots Technicians Go Rogue

Despite the conviction of the perpetrators following an FBI investigation, Great American refused to pay because it said the tribe took too long to make a claim.

The tribe argues it did not uncover the full extent of the theft until…

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