Wisconsin Casino Player Faces Up to 100 Years in Prison, Feds Reveal

Posted on: March 11, 2022, 08:10h. 

Last updated on: March 11, 2022, 10:35h.

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

A Wisconsin woman could face as much as 100 years in prison after she was indicted for allegedly misusing someone’s special needs trust. Some of the money was spent on casino gambling, federal prosecutors revealed this week.

The Robert W. Kastenmeier US Courthouse in Madison, Wis., pictured above. A Wisconsin woman was indicted recently on five counts of wire fraud. She allegedly improperly took money from a trust fund. Some of it was used at a casino. Her case is to be heard at the court building. (Image: Wikipedia)

A grand jury recently indicted Sarah Anne Tischer, 42, of Amery, on five counts of wire fraud. If convicted, Tischer faces a maximum of 20 years imprisonment for each count, according to Western District of Wisconsin US Attorney Timothy M. O’Shea.

Tischer was supposed to oversee the special needs trust, given her role as the appointed trustee over the fund. But between October 2017 and September 2019, Tischer allegedly withdrew money from the trust.

She claimed the money was going to be spent on home repairs. But these repairs were already paid for by an insurance company, prosecutors said.

Instead, Tischer spent the money at an unnamed casino, as well as on personal expenses, prosecutors added. Federal officials did not specify how much money was involved.

Prior Crimes

Instances of people improperly spending money at casinos take place worldwide. For instance, Lisa Trison, who lives in Australia, allegedly swindled almost AU$312,000 (US$228,000) from her employers. She was sentenced recently to at least four years in prison.

She spent the money on vacations, gambling, drugs, and on clothes, The Australian, a national news site, reported.

A year ago, a former Fortune Bay Resort Casino supervisor pleaded guilty to embezzling more than $300,000 from her Minnesota employer during a nearly seven-year span. Jennifer Lynn Boutto, 32, of Orr, Minnesota, made 2,994 fraudulent transactions at the casino while she worked as a front desk supervisor, authorities said. By the time she was through with the scheme, she stole $315,739.87, prosecutors added.

Last October, she was sentenced to eight months in prison and ordered to repay the full amount of money, reported The Timberjay, a Minnesota newspaper. US District Court Judge Eric C. Tostrud also sentenced her to one year of supervised release.

Boutto had pleaded guilty to one count of embezzlement and theft of tribal funds. She faced a maximum of five years in prison.

Tasmanian Theft

In another incident, Rachel Naomi Perri, 48, of Tasmania allegedly stole money from her employer, Tasmanian Veterinary Services, for three years.

She used the money to play on a Facebook gaming site, Heart of Vegas, prosecutors said. By the time the scheme was over, she had allegedly stolen AUD$940,221 (US$690,310) from her employer. She allegedly made 475 fraudulent transactions.

She now faces up to six years in prison. Perri recently lost an appeal in her case.