Casino Crime

California man held in gaming fraud

A Burbank man pleaded not guilty to more than half a dozen felony counts in Tahoe Justice Court on Tuesday after allegedly using a fraudulent line of credit to obtain $85,000 in gaming chips from a South Shore casino last week.

Nevada Gaming Control Board officials arrested Karl Asatrian, 37, at 8:35 p.m. on Oct. 28 on suspicion of using a forged California driver license and stolen credit card to access another man's home equity line and wire $130,000 to a front money account at Harrah's Lake Tahoe.

Authorities believe Asatrian then allegedly used the line of credit to obtain $85,000 in gaming chips.

After winning $4,825 and cashing out, according to the deputy's report, Asatrian then used the stolen credit card to get a $7,280 cash advance from the casino.

Asatrian then allegedly met with two people in the casino parking lot and gave them the money he obtained from the casino. The coconspirators then told Asatrian that he should try and obtain his $10,000 cut of the money from the remaining credit line at the casino, according to Asatrian's account of the event contained in the deputy's report.

Court documents indicate Asatrian confessed to crimes associated with the alleged incident, but pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to allow time for his parents to hire him a lawyer.

Asatrian is charged with burglary, obtaining money under false pretenses, fraudulent use of a credit card, uttering a forged instrument, possession of stolen property, conspiracy to commit fraud and two counts of forgery in connection to the alleged incident.

He is being held in Douglas County jail on $200,000 bail, according to court documents.