Woman gets prison time for Mohegan Sun cheating scheme
A Southbridge, Mass., woman who conspired with a Mohegan Sun blackjack dealer to cheat the casino out of more than $78,000 apologized as she was sentenced Tuesday in New London Superior Court to a year in prison.
Marlene Rivera, 38, had pleaded guilty to first-degree larceny and faced up to three years in prison when she stood before Judge Hillary B. Strackbein for sentencing. Her attorney, Jerome Paun, argued for a fully suspended prison term, noting that Rivera, a mother of seven, has been clean for two years from the drug addiction that fueled her crime.
She will be on probation for five years following her release and will be required, along with the accused dealer, to repay the casino.
“I would like to apologize to both you and the court,” Rivera said to the judge. “I know what I did was wrong, and I’m sorry for taking money from the casino.”
Rivera said that now that her mind is clear, she deeply regrets what she put her children through.
According to Mohegan Tribal Police, a review of surveillance video from one of Rivera’s gambling sessions showed the dealer, Roy Mariano of New London, placing a black gaming chip, valued at $100, in the middle of a stack of red chips, valued at $5 each, every time he paid Rivera. A further review of surveillance tapes showed that Mariano overpaid Rivera during 16 different gambling sessions in the month of August 2015. In addition to hiding $100 chips in a stack of $5 chips, the recordings also showed Mariano hiding a $100 chip underneath a card used to cut the deck and sliding it to Rivera, according to the affidavit.
Mariano, who also has pending charges in the New London court, told investigators that Rivera approached him and said, “if he helped her, she would help him with money.” He said he started giving Rivera extra chips when he paid her winning bets and that she would hand him money as he walked from the table to the break room. He said he didn’t remember how much money she had given him.
The surveillance department checked but could not find recordings of Mariano and Rivera meeting after they left the gaming pit, according to a court document. The police said several supervisors were working on the days that Mariano was overpaying Rivera and it did not appear that any of them was aware of the cheating.
Rivera also has pending burglary and larceny cases in an unrelated case in the Windham Judicial District, as well as a conviction for larceny in Rhode Island, according to testimony. A news report from the Rhode Island case indicates Rivera was charged with burglarizing homes in the town of Gloucester in 2014. Court officials noted on Tuesday that Rivera has made full restitution to the victims in that case.
In the New London case, Rivera’s attorney worked out a plea agreement with prosecutor Stephen M. Carney that involved a sentence of 10 years in prison, suspended after up to three years, followed by five years of probation. The agreement gave Paun the right to argue for a shorter prison term.
In making his pitch to the court, Paun had provided a report by mitigation specialist Clinton J. Roberts that delved into the cause of Rivera’s long-standing battle with substance abuse. Paun said Rivera is now on Suboxone, a drug used to treat opioid addiction, and has engaged in counseling. She is a single mother who has been devoted to her children despite her addiction, Paun said.
“I’m making a plea here that we not reverse the progress she has made,” Paun said.
The judge said she was not willing to give Rivera a fully suspended prison sentence. She told Rivera she had made many bad decisions.
“Being a thief is a serious business,” Strackbein said. “This wasn’t a one-shot deal. This was ongoing.”
Strackbein ordered Rivera to undergo a substance abuse evaluation and treatment, if deemed necessary, while on probation. She is prohibited from possessing or using illegal drugs and is “not welcome” at Connecticut’s casinos, Strackbein said.