Man Sentenced to Prison for Using Hidden Device to Cheat at Casino

Prosecutors allege that Jeremiah Kevin Villegas, 33, utilized a concealed vibrating device to defraud the Northern Quest Resort and Casino in Airway Heights, Washington, of cash. Villegas, who had previously received a 99-year ban from the Kalispel Tribal Gaming Agency properties due to prior assaults and threats, reportedly employed the hidden gadget to manipulate slot machines over a nine-day period between August 26 and September 3 of last year.

According to surveillance footage reviewed by the Spokesman–Review, Villegas would cash out winnings and then press the vibrating device against the sides of the machines to trigger bonus rounds. The video also captured him kicking the equipment. Multiple agents from the Kalispel Tribal Gaming Agency observed the activity during the incident. Villegas was arrested on October 12 and initially faced 14 counts each of first-degree cheating and second-degree burglary.

Prior to the cheating incident, Villegas had been banned in June after threatening the gaming agency via phone and email following contact from a slot shift manager regarding his behavior. In earlier instances, he had been escorted out of the casino before receiving the permanent ban. It remains unclear how Villegas gained entry to the facility last year given his existing restriction.

The charges against Villegas were subsequently reduced to one count each of second-degree cheating and second-degree burglary. Under Washington state law, second-degree cheating is classified as a gross misdemeanor carrying a maximum sentence of one year in jail, whereas a conviction on first-degree cheating could have resulted in up to five years in prison. Villegas was arraigned at the Spokane County Superior Court on November 5 and appeared in court on April 13, where his bond was set at $5,000. His trial is scheduled to commence on May 26, while he remains detained at the Geiger Corrections Center.

Cheating cases are infrequent in the Spokane region, with the county prosecutor handling only three such instances over the past six years. In contrast, the Washington State Gambling Commission investigates between 20 and 30 cheating cases annually. Agents from the commission examined 52 cheating cases from January of last year through April of this year, though none of those occurred in Spokane County. Of the 52 cases reviewed by the commission, seven resulted in criminal charges. An attorney for Villegas was not immediately listed in court records, and the Spokane County Prosecuting Attorney's Office and the Kalispel Tribal Gaming Agency have been contacted for further comment.