Politics & Government
Two Lakewood Men Plead 'Not Guilty' to Cheating at Horseshoe Casino
They are among the seven indictments handed down by the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor's Office.
The two Lakewood men on charges of cheating the Horseshoe Casino in Cleveland each pleaded not guilty on Wednesday.
Nidal Abuaun, 50, and Philip Koch, 54, are each charged with cheating, a fifth-degree felony. They each entered pleas of not guilty.
Both appeared today in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court, where Abuaun’s cash/surety bond was set at $1,500, while Koch had a $2,500 personal bond set.
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Maria Russo, a spokeswoman for the prosecutor’s office, told Lakewood Patch last month that the men are both suspected of “capping their bets” — making a bet after the cards are dealt.
Abuaun was playing Texas Hold 'Em, and Koch was playing Black Jack, said Russo.
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Five others — four men from Cleveland and one from Akron — are also indicted for cheating at the casino.
“Ohio now has statutes in place to address crimes committed in the new casinos,” said prosecutor Bill Mason in a statement. “My office will continue to prosecute these crimes as we would any other crime in our county.”
Pre-trials for Abuaun and Koch are scheduled for next week.
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