Mohegan Tribe gaming executive accused of role in Easter egg scam

Wednesday, April 11, 2018  

A former executive at the commercial gaming facility owned by the Mohegan Tribe has been arraigned on conspiracy charges in Pennsylvania.

According to news reports Robert Joseph Pellegrini, 52, accepted a $2,000 kickback from a rigged Easter egg drawing at the Mohegan Sun Pocono. He allegedly knew about the scheme when he served as vice president of player development at the facility.

The man who won the $10,000 grand prize was a frequent patron named Mark Joseph Heltzel, 53. He allegedly enlisted two other casino employees to pull off the scam and ensured Pellegrini was in the loop, The Wilkes-Barre Citizens' Voice reported.

Pellegrini was fired from the casino in 2016 after being involved in a player card scam that cheated the facility out of more than $400,000. The patron involved was none other than Heltzel.

Pellegrini was subsequently sentenced to 32 months in federal prison for his role in that crime. Heltzel was sentenced to 18 months.

Pellegrini is serving his sentence in a medium security facility in Pennsylvania, according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons. He's not due for release until October 2019.

The new charges against Pellegrini regarding the Easter egg drawing are being handled in state court. Two former casino employees are also being charged with the same crimes, The Citizens' Voice reported.

Read More on the Story:
Former casino boss arraigned on conspiracy charges (The Wilkes-Barre Citizens' Voice April 11, 2018)
Former casino executive arraigned on Easter promotion scam (The Scranton Times-Leader April 11, 2018)