Guilty pleas in advance-cash scheme at Santa Ana Pueblo casino

Tuesday, March 25, 2014  

Two men pleaded guilty in connection with an advance-cash scheme at the casino owned by Santa Ana Pueblo in New Mexico.

Osamu Togashi, 32; Hiroto Matsuo, 40; and Yu Zheng, 31, were accused of using counterfeit credit cards to take out cash at the Santa Ana Star Casino in January 2013. But they weren't using the money to gamble, authorities said.

Togashi and Yu pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud and related activities in connection with access devices. Matsuo was charged but was never apprehended, The Albuquerque Journal reported.

Togashi, who is a Japanese citizen, already served his prison sentence and could face removal from the U.S. Yu, who is a Chinese citizen remains in a half-way house in New Mexico. Matsuo is a Japanese citizen.

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International gamble ends in arrests (The Albuquerque Journal 3/25)