Easy money

There are many ways it seems to make some "easy money" these days from having a winning lottery ticket, to having an large inheritance drop into your lap or to be a retiring CEO for a corporation you have gutted. Some people though stick to the old fashioned and creative way of aquiring it.

On Thursday, November 15 2007, Connecticut State police arrested Sholem Weisner, 26, of Brooklyn NY after they found $55,000 in his hotel room at the the Mohegan Sun Casino. Weisner had not gotten so lucky at the Texas hold em' match he had been playing there for several days. Officials state that he had been marking cards so that he could locate where they were in a hand at the table.

Weisner had already been ejected by the casino in September 2006 for allegedly cheating and he had gotten back into it by bringing along ID that belonged to a friend. He has been released on bond at this time. It would seem that he was on the road to easy money but had forgotten the casinos have numerous cameras and a large database in which they can "lucky" and spot their cheaters.

Robert Nanni, 53, a retired Port Authority police officer had found a different and creative way to get his easy money it seems. A Monmouth County NJ grand jury just indicted him though for that creativity.

Authorities there state that Nanni, who retired in 2006, would stop truckers on the Goethals Bridge and the Outerbridge Crossing and would let them go if they donated to the North Howell Stingrays. He had coached the Stingrays, a traveling baseball team for 12 year-olds. They report that he had even approached trucking companies telling them that they wouldn't receive tickets if they donated to the team.

While this may seem like a bit of a stretch for gaining donations that probably needed by the team, I think the fact that officials allege that he kept $60,000 for himself tipped the scales against his method. Nanni is charged with receiving stolen property, theft of services, theft by deception and official misconduct. He definately had found a way to line his pocket as well as the teams pockets with his method.