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Man Who Stole $1.6M in Chips From Vegas Casino Arrested in SoCal
Akingide Cole seen at The Venetian (Photo courtesy LASD)
Akingide Cole managed to successfully swipe $1.6 million in chips from the casino of The Venetian in Las Vegas earlier this month, but he didn't manage to stay free for long.
Authorities have revealed that Cole, 31, was arrested last week, and is jailed in Los Angeles County. Cole, a Palmdale resident, was taken into custody October 24 near his mother's home, through a joint effort of the San Bernardino County and Los Angeles County sheriff's departments, according to the Associated Press.
Las Vegas police detectives traveled to California as part of the investigation, and say they have recovered an estimated $396,000 worth of chips so far. They believe it's not likely Cole would have been able to redeem all of the high-value chips.
According to Nevada Gaming Control Board Chief of Enforcement Jerry Markling, most Vegas casinos will circulate an alternate, differently-styled set of chips following a theft, so as to make anyone using chips from the stolen set stand out.
Cole is expected to be extradited to Nevada to face charges of grand larceny, burglary and possession of burglary tools.
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