An employee of Chinook Winds Casino in Lincoln City has been charged with aggravated theft and computer crime after his arrest last week for allegedly accessing the player’s cards of 13 gamblers and using their points to win more than $14,000 on slot machines.
Oregon State Police Detective Brian Eskridge arrested Sebastian A. Stamey, 22, of Lincoln City on Aug. 27 after a casino patron contacted security on Aug. 10 to say that someone had accessed his player’s card to use points he had accumulated while gambling. A casino review of surveillance videos found a casino employee using the victim’s card, Eskridge said in a probable cause affidavit filed in Lincoln County circuit court.
In his affidavit, Eskridge said the investigation expanded and more surveillance videos and computer diagnostics helped determine that Stamey, a slot key attendant, was manipulating account access to use customer rewards while he was off duty. The affidavit said security eventually found that 13 gamblers had rewards ranging from $32 to $2,340 removed from their account for a total of $8,484 and that Stamey won $14,168 in casino payouts.
Stamey was arraigned Aug. 28 and is next due in court Sept. 22.
Congratulations OSP and Casino security.