Frenchman gets 9 months' jail for cheating at RWS casino
by Alice Chia Updated 08:40 PM Sep 17, 2012
Reynald Georges Victor Lasnel, 63, pleaded guilty to two charges of cheating. (Photo courtesy of Singapore Police Force)
SINGAPORE - A French national was sentenced to nine months' jail today for cheating at the Resorts World Sentosa casino.
Reynald Georges Victor Lasnel, 63, pleaded guilty to two charges of cheating, involving S$13,400 of winnings.
Lasnel and two accomplices came up with a plan for 'past-posting' bets, which means placing bets after the winning number is revealed.
On April 2 and 3 last year, another Frenchman Fabrice Thierry Laurent Michel allegedly placed bets with S$6,700 worth of gaming chips while Lasnel distracted the pit supervisor. After which, Spaniard Lopez Pintado Jose allegedly collected the winning payouts.
Following a tip-off from a patron, the surveillance shift manager of the casino reviewed the closed-circuit television footage and uncovered the scam.
The three were arrested and charged in court.
Despite having their passports impounded, they managed to flee Singapore while on court bail.
With help from the German authorities and INTERPOL, Lasnel was arrested at the Frankfurt airport in Germany and was extradited back to Singapore on Sept 11.
In a mitigation letter to the judge, Lasnel pleaded for leniency.
He said his two daughters, aged 16 and 19 years, are depending on him to take care of them as his wife died five years ago. He also said he is a "weak, tired and sick old man" who had undergone two operations.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Ma Hanfeng however argued for a severe sentence as deterrence.
He highlighted aggravating factors, including pre-meditation and planning involved in the scam and pointed out that Lasnel had absconded while on bail.
Lasnel will start serving his sentence today. The other two alleged accomplices are still at large.
