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Three indicted in $6M identity theft, money laundering scheme

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<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; A former cocktail waitress at Mohegan Sun Pocono was sentenced to six months on house arrest and two years of probation for her part in a scheme that defrauded the gambling mecca of $420,147.</p><p>U.S. District Judge A. Richard Caputo said he took into account Rochelle Poszeluznyj&#8217;s previously clean record, the fact that she has been working two jobs while attending college even after her guilty plea, and the fact that she had apparently been in a romantic relationship with co-defendant Mark Heltzel.</p><p>&#8220;Its&#8217;s obvious you were involved and that had to influence you,&#8221; Caputo said.</p><p>Poszeluznyj, of Kingston, was part of a trio involved in the con. Prosecutors said Poszeluznyj stole casino patrons&#8217; personal identification numbers and passed them on to Robert Pellegrini, the former casino executive who the judge deemed &#8220;most responsible&#8221; for the scheme.</p><p>Pellegrini used the numbers to create duplicate rewards cards he then gave to Heltzel, who turned about $478,000 in phony free play credits into a $420,147 profit, prosecutors said. The plot unfolded from May 2014 to April 2015.</p><p>A casino regular, Heltzel got involved after complaining to management when he overheard employees talking about his personal finances. He was introduced to Pellegrini, then the vice president of player development, who awarded him $10,000 in free play at $1,000 weekly increments, according to court documents.</p><p>Heltzel quickly became a fixture at the Plains Township casino, and a friendship developed between him and Pellegrini. Heltzel was approached with the scheme by Pellegrini and &#8220;succumbed to temptation,&#8221; court documents said.</p><p>Prior to sentencing at the Max Rosenn Courthouse, Poszeluznyj&#8217;s attorney Robert Buttner cited his client&#8217;s history as an outcast from her own family, growing up in a rural area with few contacts and craving acceptance. He painted her involvement not as greed for money but need for that acceptance, including acceptance by Heltzel.</p><p>Buttner argued Heltzel portrayed himself as a wealthy finance manager and sold the scheme as &#8220;Picking up pennies from the floor.&#8221; He also noted Poszeluznyj received only $2,000 in cash from the scam, and she could easily have interpreted various perks &#8212; ranging from manicures to vacations &#8212; as gifts from Heltzel and not as profits from the scheme.</p><p>Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle Olshefski countered that Poszeluznyj was a 37-year-old living independently who had made the &#8220;conscious decision daily&#8221; to participate.</p><p>All three people in the scheme pleaded guilty. Poszeluznyj was the last to be sentenced.</p><p>Pellegrini received a 32-month prison term in June.</p><p>Heltzel was sentenced to 18 months in a federal prison a few weeks ago.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Rochelle Poszeluznyj, of Kingston, was sentenced to house arrest and probation Thursday for her role in a scheme at the Mohegan Sun Pocono casino. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/web1_TTL090117Rochelle-Poszeluznyj-1.jpg</photo0><caption0>Rochelle Poszeluznyj, of Kingston, was sentenced to house arrest and probation Thursday for her role in a scheme at the Mohegan Sun Pocono casino. </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Mark Guydish</p><p>mguydish@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Mark Guydish at 570-991-6112 or on Twitter @TLMarkGuydish</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Ex-waitress gets house arrest, probation in casino scam