Christian Lusardi Finally Indicted Over Counterfeit Poker Chips In Borgata TournamentAlleged Tournament Cheat Charged Over Incident Last Year |
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In April, Christian Lusardi, the North Carolina man who allegedly introduced counterfeit chips into a poker tournament at the Borgata in Atlantic City early last year, was sentenced to five years in prison in a separate case involving pirated DVDs. On Wednesday, an Atlantic County grand jury indicted him on charges of second-degree trademark counterfeiting, second-degree attempted theft by deception and third-degree criminal mischief.
“Lusardi’s alleged scheme to play high-stakes poker with counterfeit chips played out like a Hollywood movie plot,” Acting Attorney General Hoffman told Press of Atlantic City. “As theatrical as this was, we cannot lose sight of the serious nature of this financial crime. By allegedly betting with phony chips, Lusardi cheated other players and cost the Borgata hundreds of thousands of dollars in lost tournament revenues.”
Lusardi cashed for $6,814 in the tournament. He was the chip leader going into Day 2. A total of 4,814 players put up the $560 to enter. The remaining prize money was frozen after the tournament was canceled with just 27 players left, but the funds were eventually released to the players.
The alleged plot was discovered when casino officials at nearby Harrah’s Resort and Casino in Atlantic City found that someone had flushed 2.7 million worth of counterfeit tournament poker chips down the toilet in a hotel room. The Borgata was then notified and the tournament was suspended. Tournament staff discovered an additional 800,000 chips in play.
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