UK: Student Attempts to Steal $30K from Grosvenor Casino

In the digital age, crimes and fraud are increasingly more difficult to complete than one might think. The digital footprint of transactions and surveillance in casinos along with increased measures for security such as AI and proactive monitoring, help protect such venues from criminal activities, including robbery, money-laundering or other criminal acts. Despite the innovative technology casinos use, some culprits still attempt to execute different crimes and this is precisely the case of one student in the United Kingdom.

As announced by Birmingham Live, a 22-year-old student from Greenwich, London, was recently sentenced after attempting to steal a hefty sum from a casino. Samuel Bob-Emmanuel admitted to fraud and was reportedly sentenced to a 12-month community order by the Birmingham Crown Court. The student stole some £24,000 ($29,000) from Grosvenor Casino, a location where he was a regular customer.

In light of the sentencing, Bob-Emmanuel is now facing 150 hours of unpaid work. The 22-year-old who admitted to fraud by false representation must also undergo 25 days of rehabilitation. According to Bob-Emmanuel’s defense, Mohammed Naser, the defendant decided to temporarily stop his university activities to “better equip himself” for the final year. Naser explained: “He has not sought to prevaricate or delay matters. He has not sought to conceal or dispose of evidence. Of course, the unsophisticated nature of the offense means it was always going to come back to him.”

An Unsophisticated Crime

The crime Bob-Emmanuel admitted to dates back to March 1 this year. Back then, the young man memorized a PIN code used by a supervisor at Grosvenor Casino’s venue on Hill Street in Birmingham. As a regular client, Bob-Emmanuel had an account with the casino. After memorizing the PIN, the 22-year-old returned to the casino the next day and visited its poker room which was unattended at the time.

He then attempted to transfer the five-figure sum to his account. Sadly, Bob-Emmanuel wasn’t able to get the money as TSB Bank had frozen the transaction. Once Bob-Emannuel completed the transaction, he fled the casino.

Recorder George Kelly explained that the unsophisticated crime was quickly resolved. Yet, it involved some degree of planning, he said. Employees of Grosvenor Casino didn’t take long to identify the missing funds. Then, they reviewed the CCTV footage and identified who was the wrongdoer.