Mississippi Man’s Catch-Me-If-You-Can Casino Romp Ends with His Arrest

For seven years, Shaun Joseph Benward, a low-key but well-known casino scammer, toured properties all over the United States, pulling off one stunt after the next.

However, in April 2025, his escapade was stopped shortly after he was located by police and arrested, the result of a 2018 investigation by the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation’s Special Enforcement Operations Bureau and his subsequent indictment.

Seven Years on the Run, But the Day of Reckoning Has Finally Come

Benward had been officially on the lam until his arrest last April, and he has finally been brought to court and found guilty of multiple charges. A verdict was delivered on November 6, 2025, in a Lyon County court of law.

Benward has been known to travel to casinos all over the country and perpetrate various criminal and fraudulent activities, specifically fooling casino staff into believing he was a different person by changing attire and securing more than $10,000 in improper payouts at the Grand Falls Casino in Larchwood, Iowa. He posed as a magician to help pull off his stunts.

He also managed to avoid Internal Revenue Service reporting requirements by breaking up over $12,000 in transactions and remaining unnoticed by cash tellers through multiple outfit changes. The culprit’s scheme has been repeated all over the country, with similar instances of his wrongdoing documented and reported.

No other information has been released.