In movies, it’s but ordinary to see people perform extraordinary cheats and tricks when it comes to gambling. From sheer mastery of the rules or overflowing luck, there’s just no doubt that these gambling maestros have al that it takes to rake in millions of dollars all within one night. However, did it ever strike you that what you watch just might happen in real life. Although it may seem virtually impossible, a man proved the world wrong when it comes to succeeding in gambling related crimes. His name is Louis B. Colavecchio.

Also known as “The Coin”, 64 year old Colavecchio is a well known organized crime associate who excelled in the forgery of counterfeit coins. He has researched means and ways of producing remarkably similar counterfeits of various slot machine coins in various casinos and gambling spots. The tokens he and his gang created ranged from $5 to $100. His counterfeit workshop is located in his home in Providence.

Some of the casinos he victimized were Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun, both located in Connecticut. However, his life of forgery didn’t stop there. He also forged coins which were used in the world famous Trump Marina Casino. Other unfortunate casinos on his list were the Trump Plaza Casino, Atlantic City Hilton, Taj Mahal Resort, Sands Casino and Caesar’s Palace Casino. His group has also been known for their forgery crimes in the Borgata and Harrah’s casino in Las Vegas.

To forge the coins, Colavecchio took samples of the coins from the aforementioned casinos. We would then make rubber molds where the coins will be duplicated after certain chemical procedures took place. To complete this, he utilized the services of chemists who determined what the original coins were made of. He would then distribute the counterfeit tokens to other associates and earn from it.

Just like other slick criminal minds, he also met his downfall. The casinos observed a surplus of coins from their slot machines, which then led to suspicion. The cases were reported to the FBI went and the agency on an operation to trap Colavecchio and his gang. The operation ended in a success which led to the capture of “The Coin” Colavecchio. After raiding his home and criminal base, evidences like metals, dye, molds and others were put under police custody. It was also discovered that this wasn’t his first time to get caught for the same crime. It also happened to him in 1998 which resulted to serving jail time of 27 months.
Right now, the 64 year old suspect faces various charges which include 10 counts of forgery, counterfeiting and of course, alteration of trademark. However, he was released after paying $25, 000 worth of surety bond. A Providence district court granted him temporary freedom after he appeared in court.