An Iowa casino slots player went from hero-to-zero after scooping a $1,500 jackpot that led to his arrest.
Iowa Casino Slots Jackpot Winner Lands A Different Kind Of ‘Bars’
An Iowa casino slots player was celebrating a $1,517.40 win this month at the Elite Casino Resorts in the state on Sunday 13th July – however, when trying to claim his win this led to his arrest.
Why?
The big winner had to verify his ID in order to claim his slots win and, in the process, lifted the lid on who he was – a wanted man for Class D felony charges.
Of course, the slots winner tried to hide his identity by trying to get a pal to claim his winnings – but this failed.
The rule of slot wins in the state are that any jackpot over $1,200 will alert a slot attendant who will then provide the winner with a tax form and then pay out their winnings in cash by hand.
Which is how slots winner Luis Miguel Mejia was unmasked.
Iowa Slots Winner Tried To Get Friend To Claim Jackpot
Law officials in the state claimed that Mejia tried to get a friend to quickly sway places with him at the slots machine – but casino workers noticed the switch.
The Lyon County Sheriff’s Office then arrested Luis Miguel Mejia on Tuesday, July 22, when then found him on a warrant that was issued by a local court.
This warrant was given the all-clear when police told Lyon County’s Judicial District 3 Court they had enough evidence to believe that Luis Miguel Mejia had carried out two Class D felony crimes at the Grand Falls Casino & Golf Resort in Larchwood on July 13.
Iowa Slots Winner Had No Social Security Number
His win opened a can of worms – which led to officials quickly realizing that Mejia had no Social Security number – with Iowa court documentation showing in February 2015 he was charged with driving a car with no license and speeding.
Plus court records in the state also showed Mejia had then been changed with to Class D felony offenses “gambling — avoid forfeiture of money” and “conspiracy to commit non-forcible felony.”
With officials saying “The complaint against him for the slot win incident alleges that Mejia had a friend sit in the machine to avoid his detection of not being a registered resident. Since Mejia allegedly has no Social Security number, driver’s license, or other proof of residency/citizenship, the Grand Falls Casino slot attendant wouldn’t have been able to complete the handpay.”
According to law firm McCarthy & Hamrock each offense will carry a penalty of up to five years in prison – plus also carry a $7,500 fine.
Elite Casino Resorts owns Iowa’s Riverside Casino and Golf Resort. And are also the owners of the Rhythm City Casino Resort in Davenport. And also owns gambling sites in Illinois and Nebraska.
Slot Machine Jackpot Wins Over $1,200 Trigger Handpay Process
The slots jackpot rules in the US state that any wins at $1,200 or more will trigger a slot attendant to be called to verify the win and the winner’s identity.
These attendants must produce a W-2G form to the winners to complete that will report jackpots to the government’s federal revenue service.
If this is not done any gambling winnings will lead to an IRS audit.
However, it’s also been reported that this $1,200 threshold is set to increase to $2,000 from January 1st – with the current limit having not changed since 1997.
Plus, it’s believed the US government are working towards getting the threshold moved up to $5,000 in the coming years.
