Man sentenced to prison after Idaho casino thefts
BOISE, Idaho (AP) -- A 32-year-old eastern Idaho man is headed to prison for a year after acknowledging he stole thousands from an Indian reservation casino.
John R. Mejia of Rigby was sentenced Tuesday to 12 months plus a day, followed by three years of supervised release and the requirement he repay $177,611.
Mejia was indicted in July 2011, on one count of theft from the Shoshone-Bannock Fort Hall Casino
He'd been working there as a gaming technician and admitted he took money from the casino by creating duplicate vouchers from gaming machines and redeeming the vouchers for cash.
U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill says Mejia didn't merely steal from a casino, he targeted a nation of 5,000 people: The Shoshone-Bannock tribes.
U.S. Attorney Wendy Olson adds that Mejia abused the public's trust.
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