Two men in Westmoreland County face charges, accused in a casino playing card-marking scheme.
PA State Police and the Westmoreland County District Attorney’s Office say Bahri Sahpolat of California and Serdar Ozmen of Maryland were arrested and charged with theft, counterfeit and more.
Security at Live! Casino in Hempfield Township saw three men using indented playing cards “to gamble and allegedly defraud” the casino.
Casino employees told State Police they saw the men gambling the day before. They believe the total amount that was defrauded was around $14,270.
The two men had had $12,175 on them when they were arrested. That money was returned to the casino.
Troopers added, video “footage from the casino showed the men clearly marking playing cards at a table.”
Investigators say the men says they marked the playing cards to help them win games and “pocketed thousands of dollars.”
Both Sahpolat and Ozmen are being held in the Westmoreland County Prison without bail due to them being considered flight risks.