Larchwood, Iowa (NorthwestIowaNow.com and RadioIowa) — We have updates on two separate fraud cases from the Grand Falls Casino in Larchwood.
First, a Mississippi man, 38-year-old Shaun Joseph Benward, was found guilty last week by a Lyon County jury on 11 felony charges. The charges, including money laundering and cheating at gambling, stem from a 2018 scam. Investigators say Benward manipulated casino staff out of more than 10-thousand dollars and dodged I-R-S reporting requirements. He was arrested in Mississippi this past April. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
In a separate case, two men have been sentenced for illegally claiming a $1500 jackpot this past July. Luis Mejia of Sioux Falls pleaded guilty to passing a winning wager and received a suspended sentence with three years’ probation.
His co-defendant, Julio Mejia Cerritos of Worthington, pleaded guilty to forgery and received a suspended sentence with two years’ probation. That forgery charge was part of a larger investigation, which found Mejia Cerritos had illegally claimed over $136,000 in jackpots since 2016 using a stolen identity. Mejia Cerritos still faces a trial in January on related charges.
