WarHorse Casino Visitor Allegedly Cashes $6K in Stolen Checks in Nebraska

Posted on: January 1, 2023, 10:03h. 

Last updated on: January 1, 2023, 02:12h.

Ed Silverstein @casinoorgedsilv Read More
Expertise: Legal, Tribal Gaming.

A 37-year-old woman was arrested last week after she allegedly made several illicit cash advances at Nebraska’s WarHorse Casino Lincoln.

Visitors at the opening of Nebraska’s WarHorse Casino Lincoln
Visitors line up for the opening of Nebraska’s WarHorse Casino Lincoln in September. A woman was arrested recently for passing stolen cashed checks at the new casino. (Image: WOWT)

Diamond Helmstadter of Lincoln, Neb., cashed two illegal checks totaling $3,000 on November 11, KOLN, a local TV station, reported. The checks were presented at the casino’s cashier cage.

Some of the money was spent gambling. Other funds were given to a man who accompanied her to the casino.

Another illicit check was cashed on November 20. It again was for $3,000.

She used an ID belonging to a Texas woman to get into the casino. The checks she cashed were stolen from a 58-year-old Lincoln man, authorities said.

On November 22 and 24, Helmstadter again tried to cash stolen checks, but she failed each time, police said.

Eventually, casino staff became familiar with the woman’s real identity.

She was arrested on December 26. She is charged with theft by deception over $5,000, second-degree forgery between $1,500 and $5,000, and identity theft over $5,000, KOLN said.

When apprehended by police, she still had the ID, police said. She was wearing clothes and was carrying a purse that matched what the suspect had at the casino, police added. There was surveillance video of the clothes and purse.

Helmstadter is scheduled to appear in local court next month. She apparently posted $20,000 bond and was released from custody.

Temporary Casino

WarHorse Casino Lincoln initially opened a temporary space in September. It is the first legal casino in the state.

It is operated by the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska. The casino is part of WarHorse Gaming. That is a partnership between the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska and Nebraska Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association (NHBPA).

Eventually, WarHorse Gaming will spend more than $200 million to transform the Lincoln Race Course into a permanent site for WarHorse Casino Lincoln.

The permanent site is expected to be complete in late 2024. That gaming property will have about 1,300 slot machine and table games. There will be a sportsbook and a hotel, as well as a convention and meeting space and many restaurants.

WarHorse Gaming recently broke ground on its Omaha project. It will spend more than $300 million to completely renovate Horsemen’s Park into WarHorse Casino Omaha. It will open its first phase with 800 slot machines in August. Eventually, there will be 1,200 slots, table games, and a sportsbook at the Omaha site.

Bank Incident

In another recent incident, Helmstadter also allegedly tried to cash an illicit check at Lincoln’s Cornhusker Bank. It was made out for $2,500.

It was on an account belonging to Lincoln’s Belmont Carpet Service. The check was made out to the name appearing on the ID belonging to the Texas woman.

When given the check, a bank employee contacted Belmont Carpet Service. It turned out they did not write the check, police said. So the bank did not cash it.