There has been a recent uptick in similar crimes happening at the casino in Jefferson.

Greene County Attorney Thomas Laehn tells Raccoon Valley Radio several individuals that have won slot machine jackpots have someone else claim their winnings in order to defraud the state of Iowa because they owe money.  

“So if someone is gambling who owes say fines for past criminal activity, or court costs, or owes back child support, the state tracks those debts to public agencies.” 

Laehn works with the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation on these matters because the agent that is assigned to the casino does the investigations. He says he’s been charging these individuals before the Iowa Legislature changed the law and specifically made these alleged incidents a felony. 

Laehn believes there’s been an increase in these types of crimes due to the law change and because there are more people going to casinos across the state. He talks about why he charges both the person who won the jackpot and is avoiding paying their debts to the state and the person who aids and abets them.

“So if someone fills out the paperwork to claim a prize they did not actually win, they’ve committed a crime called fraudulent practices. They’re certifying under penalty of perjury that they’ve won the prize and they’re entitled to the payout.” 

Laehn is proud of his office for prosecuting these types of crimes and warns anyone who tries to do them to not because it is illegal and can lead to being charged with a felony. He said at a recent Greene County Board of Supervisors meeting that of his 85 pending criminal cases, 20 were these gambling-avoid setoff alleged incidents.