A self-proclaimed illusionist from Mississippi, who spent years running on line casino flooring underneath false names, together with the alias “Shaun Mistery,” will now spend the following decade at the back of bars.
On Tuesday (February 10), Pass judgement on Carl Petersen ordered 38-year-old Shaun Joseph Benward to serve concurrent jail phrases that upload as much as 10 years. The Lyon County sentence comes with credit score for just about twelve months he has already spent in custody whilst looking forward to the case to wrap up.
A jury discovered Benward in charge in November 2025 on a chain of felony gaming charges tied to task at Grand Falls On line casino in Larchwood. Prosecutors stated the case targeted on a calculated effort to milk on line casino procedures for private achieve.
He manipulated on line casino group of workers to safe over $10,000 in unsuitable payouts and have shyed away from IRS reporting necessities by means of breaking apart over $12,000 in transactions, converting his outfit a couple of occasions, and the usage of other tellers to stick undetected. Benward has been arrested for equivalent scams all through the rustic.
Iowa Division of Public Protection
According to the Iowa Division of Public Protection, jurors convicted him of “5 counts of Cash Laundering, 5 counts of Dishonest at Playing Video games, and one rely of Conspiracy to Devote a Criminal.”
State investigators started digging into Benward’s movements after brokers noticed him dishonest on the Larchwood on line casino in December 2018. What they exposed, officers stated, was once a planned effort to outmaneuver each on line casino group of workers and federal reporting regulations.
“He manipulated on line casino group of workers to safe over $10,000 in unsuitable payouts and have shyed away from IRS reporting necessities by means of breaking apart over $12,000 in transactions, converting his outfit a couple of occasions, and the usage of other tellers to stick undetected,” the dep. mentioned in its press unlock.
Mississippi self-proclaimed illusionist had historical past of on line casino bans and allegations
The Iowa conviction didn’t mark Benward’s first conflict with playing regulators. Data from different states paint an image of equivalent habits stretching again greater than a decade.
In October 2015, the Pennsylvania Gaming Keep watch over Board positioned him on its involuntary exclusion record after figuring out that he and someone else had performed a dishonest scheme. That very same month, he pleaded in charge to disorderly habits in Monroe County, Pennsylvania.
Missouri regulators later compiled their very own findings. A 2019 resolution from the Missouri Gaming Fee main points incidents at a number of Kansas Town-area casinos. Surveillance pictures on the Isle of Capri On line casino Kansas Town allegedly confirmed Benward converting his bet after the end result of a sport was once already recognized. In any other episode, investigators concluded he pulled a $500 chip off the desk whilst a cashier was once distracted, then walked away with $2,750 in money in spite of presenting simplest $2,250 in chips.
The ones incidents ended in his removing from a couple of homes, together with Lumière Position, Isle of Capri places, Harrah’s North Kansas Town, and several other Boyd Gaming casinos. In the long run, Missouri regulators completely barred him from all riverboat gaming amenities within the state.
After the 2018 incident in Iowa, Benward remained out of custody for a number of years. Government arrested him in Mississippi in April 2025 on exceptional warrants tied to the Iowa case.
The Iowa Division of Public Protection stated the investigation showcases the paintings of the Department of Felony Investigation’s Particular Enforcement Operations Bureau, calling it “the main legal investigative and enforcement company for the Iowa gaming trade.”
Featured symbol: Iowa Division of Public Protection
