Jackson, Miss. – A former employee of the Pearl River Resort – Silver Star Hotel & Casino was sentenced today to a probation term of five years, and ordered to pay $10,800 in restitution, for theft by an employee of a gaming establishment on Indian lands, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Darren J. LaMarca.

According to court documents, Reginal Brown, 36, was a banquet server at the Silver Star Hotel & Casino in the Pearl River Resort.  Between January 2016 and May 2016, Brown used his own password on multiple occasions to take, for himself, approximately $10,800 from the cash recyclers in the facility.  Casino management discovered the discrepancy in accounting and on video surveillance of the cash recycler area, then reported Brown to law enforcement.  Choctaw Police Department investigators interviewed Brown, who admitted taking the money.

A federal grand jury charged Brown with one count of theft from the Silver Star Casino.  He pled guilty in April 2021.

Acting U.S. Attorney Darren J. LaMarca stated, “Federal law imposes severe penalties for crimes committed in licensed gaming establishments.  The great potential for misconduct in these settings calls for constant vigilance and self-discipline of those entrusted with the casinos’ operation.”

The case was investigated by the Choctaw Police Department of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Theodore Cooperstein and Kevin Payne.