Roberto Orellana, who is accused of scamming a casino worker out of $350,000, has pleaded not guilty in court. If convicted, he faces up to 15 years in prison.
The 44-year-old allegedly scammed a cashier at Grand River Casino, a tribal gambling property in Mobridge, South Dakota. The employee received scam texts on their phone from someone pretending to be their boss.
The texts claimed that an audit of Grand River Casino was underway and that an alleged lawyer needed the money to help the casino avoid additional fines. The employee was instructed to convert the cash into Bitcoin at a machine in Aberdeen. A second text provided detailed instructions, directing them to deliver the money to the Dakota Sunset gas station in Mitchell.
At the gas station, the employee handed over the money to two men waiting in the parking lot.
Orellana pleaded not guilty to the allegations
Although it’s unclear how the casino detected the scam, authorities were eventually contacted, leading to an investigation. An expert from the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation reviewed the case, accessed gas station surveillance footage, and identified the credit card used by one of the suspects.
The credit card was traced to Orellana from Omaha, Nebraska, who also owned the car used by the suspects.
According to a report from the Mitchell Daily Republic, Orellana pleaded not guilty on Tuesday. The case is likely to proceed to trial, where he faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison and a fine of up to $30,000.
Federal authorities requested a bond hold on Orellana, but Judge Chris Giles denied changing the conditions.
The report did not mention the second man involved or the current status of the money. Authorities have yet to disclose what happened to the funds.
