Portsmouth Judge Criticizes Prosecution Delays in Rivers Casino Embezzlement Case
Portsmouth Circuit Margaret Court Judge Little Giant Ottinger didn’t moderate words in expressing his defeat with nation prosecutors for their seeming unfitness to ready their pillow slip against ii plaintiffs charged with embezzling money from Rivers Casino.
Rivers Casino Portsmouth opened on Jan. 23, 2023. The cassino made chronicle by existence the first off licensed, permanent casino to unfastened inward the Commonwealth.
Soon after the casino owned and operated past Chicago-based Rush Street Gaming welcomed its world-class guests, direction detected an embezzlement scheme allegedly orchestrated past deuce of its freshly hired workers. Rivers Pompey surety allegedly spotted employees Marcus Baker, 36, and Joshua Thompson, 29, stealing money from the casino. Baker and Thompson, land prosecutors allege, worked in the casino’s look elbow room where big amounts of cash are tallied and reported.
Law enforcement said its investigating determined that Baker and Homer A. Thompson pocketed some of the immediate payment during their shifts. Margaret Court records show prosecutors believe the duo stole nearly $14K in immediate payment from the casino.
The body politic brought charges against Baker and Homer A. Thompson in July. Each has been charged with a bingle felony matter for misappropriation of cash in hand worth to a greater extent than $1,000.
Frustrated Judge
During Wednesday’s prelude auditory sense on Baker and Thompson’s cases that are being tried together, attorney Lynette Hill, who is representing the say inwards the Pompey General District Court, told Ottinger that the commonwealth is struggling to tack together witnesses.
Ottinger said he received a alphabetic character from ace of the state’s witnesses who said she was afraid to testify in the case. The find reportedly told the jurist her calls to James Jerome Hill weren’t returned.
Who would rap her? You get to do better than this,” Ottinger told Hill, as for the first time reported by WAVY News. “This blows my brain as a former prosecutor. Don’t you hold investigators?”
Ottinger said there’s no more reasonable explanation for Hill’s shortcomings.
“We cognize where the witnesses are. It’s ii exits downwardly the highway from here,” the adjudicate said of the casino.
Hill is a surrogate attorney inwards Pompey Commonwealth Attorney Stephanie Morales’ office. Morales issued a financial statement inwards response to Ottinger next the Midweek prelude hearing.
This office staff has real enlighten directives for attorneys and keep faculty that are strictly adhered to regarding communication with witnesses inwards all cases. Multiple attempts were made to reaching the witness, but they were unsuccessful. Still, our efforts feature not ceased,” the statement read.
“This office staff remains committed to prioritizing justice by holding individuals accountable spell protecting witnesses and ensuring the refuge of our citizens,” the free concluded.
Case Postponed
Ottinger is gift the Portsmouth prosecutors most 2 months to tack their witnesses against Baker and Thompson. The lawsuit’s next prelude audition is now slated for Jan. 5, 2024.
Baker and Homer A. Thompson were both released on their personal recognizance.
Rivers Casino Portsmouth has won nigh $183.7 trillion sour of gamblers this year. As of Sep 30, the cassino offered 1,461 expansion slot machines and 81 tabulate games. Rivers to boot has a BetRivers Sportsbook.
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