Criminals Stage Elaborate Effort at Barona Casino to Steal Fake Money

Here, via Legal Blog Watch.

An excerpt:

Four gunmen attempted to steal a promotional booth filled with cash from Barona Casino early Wednesday, firing off several shots in the process, but no one was hurt and the money was recovered after being abandoned by the robbers, authorities said.

The general manager of Barona said there were 500 people inside the casino at the time of the robbery but it happened so quickly that no one noticed.

However, patrons playing slot machines told reporters they heard gunfire and scrambled to cash out before searching for loved ones gambling in other areas of the casino.

The gunmen entered the casino and approached a promotional booth filled with cash, then proceeded to attach a steel chain around the booth, according to sheriff’s Sgt. Tom Poulin. The other end of the chain was attached to a black SUV parked outside the casino, he said.

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Audrey Doherty, a representative for Barona, told 10News most of the cash inside the box was fake.

“It’s like a Hollywood prop,” Doherty said, adding that although the promotion is for a $250,000 prize, there was only a couple of thousand dollars in the box.