A pair of craps dealers at the Bellagio in Las Vegas and two of their friends for almost two years stole .5 million from the gaming tables, local prosecutors say.
The dealers, James R. Cooper, 43, and Mark M. Branco, 42, along with Jeffrey D. Martin, 38, and Anthony G. Granito, 49, last month were indicted on dozens of counts of theft and cheating.
Prosecutors say from July 2012 to July 2014 waited for ideal times to pay off bets that Martin and Granito never laid and instead simply blurt out some sort of craps wager as the dice were rolled while the table was crowded and get paid by Cooper and Branco, the Las Vegas Review Journal reported.
Another Bellagio dealer became suspicious of their activity and reported it to casino management, who conducted an investigation that showed Granito was paid nearly $700,000 and Martin $800,000.
Prosecutors say it would be impossible for Granito and Martin to legitimately win those amounts.
