Man admits to taking First Nations casino money

Tuesday, May 26, 2009  

The owner of an ATM supplier admitted to The Saskatoon StarPhoenix that he took nearly $1 million from First Nations casinos in Saskatchewan.

Alain Germain's companies supplied ATMs at two Native casinos. But rather than deposit the money into a bank account for the Saskatchewan Indian Gaming Authority, he says he used $989,000 to save his own business.

"Do I have an alcohol problem? No," German, 50, told the paper. "Do I have a drug problem? No. Do I have a gambling problem? No. The problem I had, I was afraid of failure."

SIGA says it is missing $1.2 million and has prepared a civil lawsuit against Germain. Authorities in Saskatchewan are investigating.

Get the Story:
Alleged casino theft may bring changes (The Saskatoon StarPhoenix 5/26)
Man admits theft from SIGA ATMs (The Saskatoon StarPhoenix 5/23)