Casino Skimming Figure Dies

As reported by the Kansas City Star: "Reputed mafia figure Charles D. Moretina, convicted in 1983 in a casino skimming investigation that effectively marked the decline of organized crime's influence in Kansas City, died Sunday. He was 77.

"…Moretina and two other local crime figures, Carl 'Cork' Civella and Carl 'Tuffy' DeLuna, were among 11 men indicted in the scheme, which saw unreported casino cash shuttled into Kansas City in a courier's luggage. The scheme was the basis for the plot of the 1995 Martin Scorsese film 'Casino.'

"Moretina was sentenced to 20 years in prison.

"…The government argued in court that the skimmed money was the key sustenance for Kansas City organized crime. Federal investigators found that participants had skimmed more than $280,000 from the Tropicana and about $2 million from casinos run by Argent Corp…"