Probation ordered for suspects in Hempfield casino scam

Two out-of-town gamblers charged last month with cheating at Live Casino Pittsburgh in Hempfield were sentenced Wednesday to serve two years on probation.

Police said Bahri Sahpolat, 47, of California, and Serdar Ozmen, 44, of Maryland, marked playing cards at a Mississippi stud poker table as part of a scheme to improve their winning odds.

According to court records, officials said the men dented cards to gain an advantage and won more than $12,000. The scheme was discovered through surveillance video, officials said.

Both men were originally charged with felony counts of theft, receiving stolen property and criminal trespassing and a misdemeanor charge of use of a cheating device. Prosecutors dismissed the trespassing charge against them as part of a deal that allowed them to enter Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition Program for first-time offenders.

Neither pleaded guilty to the charges, which can be expunged from their criminal records after they successfully serve one year on probation. The sentence imposed by Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court Judge Tim Krieger also required the men to repay the casino $1,047 and ordered they be released from the county jail, where they had been held without bond since their arrest.

The judge barred Sahpolat and Ozmen from the casino.

Court records indicated the casino confiscated more than $12,000 in winnings from the men at the time of their arrest.

A third identified person who was initially taken into custody with them was released after police said there was no evidence that the person committed a crime.

Live Casino Pittsburgh officials declined to discuss specifics about the case or answer questions about other incidents at the four-year-old facility.

“Through sophisticated security measures, Live Casino officials were able to detect the illegal activity of the individuals. We immediately contacted the Pennsylvania State Police and the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board and have been working with them throughout the duration of this investigation,” said spokesman Tom Meinert.