FBI Pursues Casino Token Theft Probe
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-- -~ - ---- --- -~ - ----------------y- ~- •• ;. ; i;;'. j' IJII)QSO 50 CENTS l\'>1 "'' H') • 20 1'\c ,h RUIDOS(J, NEW ME X JI C () ·~ WEDNESDAY, APRIL 5 ' 2000 \1\\'1\ fUid<J'>()IIt'\\ '> l lllll FBI pursues casino ,------------------------------------------ --- --·---· token theft probe Two former Casino Apache employees arrested BY jAMES KALVELAGE other tokens, when Brian Thrres tried RUIDOSO NI:.WS STAl-l: WRITER to cash out, Copher said. Guill was re portedly arrested minutes later, at 'I\vo Ruidoso area men were ar tempting to cash in a $100 token. rested in Las Vegas, Nev., allegedly "Most of the (Casino Apache) to trying to cash in with slot machine to kens were $100 tokens. Son1.e were kens missing for months from Casino $25 tokens," Copher said. Apache. More than $40,000 in face value Charged by police from the Neva tokens from Casino Apache were da Gaming Control Board's enforce seized when the pair were arrested. ment division were Brian Thrres, 33, The tokens were believed taken from of Mescalero and Wesley Guill, 22, of the tribal casino at Mescalero in Jan Ruidoso. Both had worked at Casino uary, Copher said. He said discus Apache, investigators said. The two sion,s with tribal gaming officials at have been accused of the use of coun Mescalero indicated the tokens had terfeit slot machine tokens and cheat an actual value of $1,300, because ing at gambling, according to Keith Casino Apache no longer had slot ma Copher, the chief of enforcement for chines that would use the tokens. the Nevada Gaming Control Board. A Mescalero gaming oflicial de "Around March 3 casinos here clined to comment on the case, but did started noticing tokens from Casino confirm that the two had w01·ked at Apache tuming up," Copher said. "At the casino. first the tokens were defaced. Later A Federal Bureau of Investigation Doanne Stalhngs/Rwdoso News on some weren't defaced." official working on the case concurred, Barbara Casey. Hondo school supenntendent, gazes at boxes of packed equipment to be used 1n the health chncc when 1t finally opens The Nevada Gaming Control that the tokens had virtually no value Board issued an alert to all state casi to the Mescalero gaming op'eration. nos about the illegitimate tokens. An alert clerk on March 17 noticed a $100 Casino Apache token mixed in with See TOKENS. pa~e ~A County clinic funding raises questions BY DIANNE STAU.INGS Lama," Bluestone said from his of Voters approved thP levy "to RUfl)()!J;() Nl W.\ .\IAI-1 WR!Tl.R fice in Santa Fe. operate and maintain the Lincoln .. The letter explains our au County hospitnl and clinics," Lincoln County Commissioner thority to issue attorney general specifically nanwd as the Carrizo County budget on Leo Martinf'z requested an opin opinions. They usually come in re zo Health Center, Corona Health ion from the New Mexico Attorney sponse to requests from district Center and Hondo Clinic. General's Office on the status of attorneys, state officials and legis "As it turns out, the county the Hondo Health Clinic and lators.. ..We don't intervene in local has disbursed -the funds appropri the verge of breaking money collected from a special ISSUeS. ately to the Lincoln County Med property tax levy. However, if the issue can not ica] Center (in Ruidoso) and the BY D!A)';Nf STALLINC...'- budgets and anticipated revenuPs He wants to know if commis be resolved on a local level, his of Carrizozo Health Clinic, but the 11. UID0.\0 i'.'EU'.\ \I Al-l \t'RI fl.R are on the nose - neither a usual sioners acted illegally by giving fice could issue an opinion, as it Corona Health Center and the occurrence - the commission will money from the levy to two of the did in the hassle two years ago Hondo Clinic have received none For the last few months, Lin need to dip into the rPserve the four recipients named in the pro over equitable salaries for county of the money," Martinez wrote. coln County Manager Thm Stew county is required by t.hP state to posal approved by voters in 1992, officials, Bluestone said. "The Hondo community formally art has wamed that the county carry. the comn1issioner said. But a quicker route would be requested their share of the was skating on thin budget ice. The comn1ission 1s 1·pquired to But Chief Deputy Stuart Blue for Martinez to ask someone at money, which has accumulated to This week, the ict> appears to reserve $767,749 out of the coun stone in the office of Attorney the state level to submit the re almost $600,000 at our last coun '" be cracking. ty's $11.3 million budget The ex Gf'neral Patricia Madrid said quest, Bluestone said. ty commission meeting in Febru Despite wamings that county cess after rPquired reservPs sits at 1\lesday such requests should In his letter to Madrid, Mar ary." jail and juvenile offender cosL<; $53,462. come through a state official. tinez wrote that his questions deal The commissioner pointf'd out were running high and no more Commissioners are looking at "Our office received a request with the allocation and expendi that the county donated a portable non-budgeted expenditures $65,214 in additional money on March 15 and we sent back a ture of public money collected should be approved, the commis needs with $28,105 for jail ex response dated March 23 through from a tax levy in place since sion in January approYPd $14,234 penses and $22,109 for JliVPniles, civil division din•ctor Albert 1992. See HONDO. p.lgl' ..:A. for an additional sheriff's deputy Robhins said. against Stt:-wart's recommenda "This shows that we will havP tion and $5,000 in March for a to 'dip' into the reqwred reserves water study. in the amount of $11,752," Rob Recent-ly, county officials bins wrote in the summarv. That found that a $10,000 msurance will happen "only if all dPpart Village tnust be diligent in \Vater tnaintenance deductible is due, said Glenna ments spend all their PstimatPd Robbins, county finance officer. budgets and all revenues comP in [> UPDATE: WATER A budget summary prepared as -estimatPd. GPnerally, the act u- by Robbins March 31 shows that if all departments spend their entire RY DJANNE STAllJN(;<, St.T BVDGET p:!,h!t' --\ Rl /1 X J\0 I\TU"5 SJAJ-J 'X'Rnr.R For now, Ruidoso is keeping pace c_____________ -------------~ W1th water demands, but officials can't .slow up efforts to acquire more water nghts, develop more wells, and repair leaking water lines, says the village Allsup's store clerk arrested mayor. But residents and visitors have to Alleged false armed robbery report leads to misdemeanor charges do their part by conserving water, re placing outdated fixtures with water-ef BY jAMES KAIVELAGF heves the robbery report was an effort ficient models, and using landscaping RUIDOSO NE~'.'> .HAH WRJTI.R to hide instant lottery tickets approaches that don't require much Bloomquist had allegedly scratched watering, Mayor Robert Donaldson The clerk of an Allsup's conve but had not purchased. said during the annual Community Up nience store, who reported an armed Bloomquist was charged with mis date session Friday. holdup, admitted to investigators that demeanor embezzlement and false rf' Th that end, the village may hire a Deanne Stallingsfltuidoso News 11le Water Panel of Community Update featured, from the foreground, jerry Hawkes. U.S. Forest porting to police, which also is a mis water conservation officer and when he lied about the robbery, according to Service; Robert Donaldson, Ruidoso mayor; and Dick Wisner. Ruidoso River Association. Ruidoso police. demeanor. someone is using more than 25,000 gal According to a criminal complaint, The overnight clerk, working lons per month, the officer may visit, Mark Edward Bloomquist, 25, of Rui alone, had initially told police that two not to write a citation, but to work with what the build-out of Ruidoso will re do. doso Downs, told a Ruidoso police de armed men had held him at gun point that resident on mE'thods to conserve quire," he said. "It's easy for some peo 'We have to look where we're head tective that he had taken money and and robbed the Allsup's at Mechem water, he said. ple to say let's stop growth. I'm not sure ing and what our build-out is." lottery tickets, and lied about the hold ''What we have to do as an admin of the legal mechanism to do that or up. Detective Jim Biggs said h.· be- See CLERK, page 2A istration is continually look toward that it's necessarily a proper thing to See WATER. page 2:\ e> SPORTS [>UPDATE ~WEATHER B> INDEX Warrior Look for .~~Mostly softball grabs Community Education .......' 4B Real estate . .... 5 B ~~ ~~d~~ skies Classifieds ....... 6B Sports .......... 1 B first trophy Update stories Crossword . 8 B TV listings ...... 1 C Letters ......... 4A PAGE 18 throughout Obituaries ....... SA Clubs .......... 2B Opinion ........ 4A Weather ........ lA this issue PAGE 2A ·, J . ·~ \ _____.._..,_ _______ . ____________ _.______ , __________~-- .... ~·--~----··~~-------------~~-~- 2A WEDNf.Sl>AY, APKll. '}, :WOO LOCAL NEWS CLERK: Police say there were inconsistencies with what Bloomquist. was sayirjg Continued from page lA "And then a lot of thi- came coms and the alarm aotivatlbn tbe~stm-etoscrapelceoft" together," he said of suspicion necklace thet Biootnqwat bad her . · 's windqws about the about Bloomquist's initi81 ac- told pol!ce was taken by the rob- time of the reported holdup -told and Sudderth drives about 5:45 count.