A Florida man pleaded not guilty Wednesday to charges that he and an accomplice tampered with a video roulette machine at Boomtown New Orleans Casino in Harvey and made off with $68,388 in illegitimate winnings, according to Jefferson Parish court records. 33-year-old Michael Shea of Coral Springs is charged with felony theft and modifying a gaming device to affect the results of a wager.
The case was investigated by Louisiana State Police. The agency has not yet responded to a request for comment. Authorities accused Shea of cheating the casino, 4132 Peters Road, Harvey, over a three-day period in 2022. Shea and an unnamed accomplice were seen on surveillance video manipulating the roulette machine on Aug. 6, 2022. Authorities didn't say how the suspects compromised the machine, but the pair cashed 12 tickets worth a total of $31,500 after spending about 11 hours in the casino, the arrest report said.
Shea and his accomplice returned for more than 11 hours during which they cashed in nine tickets for $19,038, authorities said. They came back a final time on Aug. 8, 2022, and cashed in an undisclosed number of tickets for $17,850. Court records didn't say how investigators identified Shea as a suspect in the case. He was arrested Feb. 22 and booked with three counts of theft and two counts of modifying gaming equipment. At the time of his arrest, Shea was wanted by authorities in Missouri for a riverboat gaming violation, court records said.