A former slot machine technician at one of Massachusetts’ casinos was indicted over allegedly stealing $22,000 from the property, the office of State Attorney General Maura Healey announced Tuesday.
Salvador Montalvo Jr. from West Springfield worked as a slot machine technician at MGM Springfield, a hotel and casino resort in downtown Springfield, between August 2018 and January 2019.
He allegedly withdrew money from the casino cashier, saying he needed it to perform tests on the slot machines. He never returned the money to MGM, according to court papers. Montalvo was indicted on charges of larceny of property over $1,200 and making false entries in corporate books.
The charges were leveled after an investigation conducted by Attorney General Healey’s Gaming Enforcement Division and the state Police Gaming Enforcement Unit. The probe was launched in January at MGM Springfield.
Las Vegas gaming and hospitality giant MGM Resorts International debuted MGM Springfield last August. The $960 million property features Massachusetts’ first commercial casino. MGM Springfield’s casino floor occupies 125,000 square feet of space and includes 2,550 slot machines, 120 table games, a poker room, and a VIP gaming area.
The investigation into Montalvo’s alleged crimes at MGM Springfield was launched after the property conducted an audit on its slot machines department. Attorney General Healey said that the casino cooperated fully over the course of the probe.
The Crime
According to information from the competent Massachusetts authorities, between August 2018 and January 2019, Montalvo managed to withdraw $23,940 from the casino cashier. He was supposed to use the funds to perform tests on the gambling venue’s slot machines.
However, it is believed that of the money he withdrew during the above-mentioned period, he returned only about $2,000 to the casino, trousering the remaining nearly $22,000. He allegedly deposited most of the majority of the stolen funds into his personal checking account.
In addition, Montalvo is alleged to have forged signatures of his supervisors on the forms he needed to be filled in order to withdraw money from the casino cashier, the office of the Attorney General said on Tuesday.
The stealing slot technician was indicted by a Hampden County Grand Jury. Montalvo is set to be arraigned on the recently leveled charges in the Hampden Superior Court at a date yet to be announced, it also became known on Tuesday.
The office of Attorney General Healey pointed out that all of the charges are currently allegations and Montalvo is innocent until proven otherwise.
News about the actions taken against Montalvo emerged just shortly after another Las Vegas-style casino joined the Massachusetts gambling scene. Las Vegas gaming and hospitality operator Wynn Resorts celebrated the grand opening of its Encore Boston Harbor property in the Greater Boston area on June 23.
The luxury resort has already proven popular with gamblers, taking in $16.8 million in gaming revenue during its first week of operation. Encore’s casino floor features 3,100 slots machines and 143 table games.
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