TIVERTON – A Massachusetts man is accused of being the mastermind of a scam to pass counterfeit Plainridge Park Casino free-slot mailers at the Tiverton Casino Hotel.
Under the alleged scheme, Joseph C. Clement, 49, of Merrimac, Mass., and others played the slots for free at the local casino before they were caught, according to The Newport Daily News.
Clement had been mailed a Plainridge free-slot mailer for $25, State Police said. For his counterfeit mailers, he increased the amount and changed the dates, police said.
Clement successfully passed counterfeit mailers for $500 worth of free slot play on Oct. 22 and Oct. 29, 2018, according to court documents. On Dec. 3, he passed a $600 mailer, for which Tiverton Casino honored $500, the cap for free slot play.
R.I. State Police detectives arrested Clement at the Tiverton Casino Hotel on Dec. 17. He was arraigned in Superior Court Feb. 28 on 15 charges, including forgery and counterfeiting with intent to defraud.
He has pleaded not guilty. A pretrial conference was set for June 6.