A father was arrested along with his son and partner at the Monte-Carlo Casino for suspicious behaviour while attempting to convert nearly 72,000 euros in small bills into larger denominations on August 29. The family, from Cuneo, Italy, was caught using a method of placing 500 euro bets on slot machines, canceling the games, and then requesting cash refunds to get higher-value notes. Casino security quickly noticed their actions and alerted the police.
During the arrest, the father, who owns a Monaco-based ice cream shop, was found with over 57,000 euros, while his partner carried 15,000 euros. In court, the trio faced charges of failing to declare cash exceeding 10,000 euros and laundering funds between 15,000 euros and 18,000 euros. The father claimed the money came from his business dealings, while his partner and son stated they were unaware of the need to declare such amounts.
The Monaco court sentenced the father to a 15-month suspended prison term and fined him 15,000 euros. The partner received a 5-month suspended sentence and a 5,000 euro fine, and the son was given a one month suspended sentence. All cash seized was ordered to be confiscated by the court.
Featured image by Jack Brodie
