Christian “Chipgate” Lusardi sentenced for counterfeit poker chips

The man who brought millions of fake poker chips at 2014 Borgata Winter Poker Open has been sentenced to five years jail time.

In Atlantic County Superior Court, the Judge Bernard DeLury has slapped Christian Lusardi to five years in prison and fined $463,540 in restitution for bringing millions in bogus poker chips to a tournament held at the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa in Atlantic City.

The payment would cover sales that the casino lost when New Jersey gaming officials ordered the prelim event cancelled, as well as the players who collectively suffered hundreds of thousands of dollars in losses while hundreds of other event entrants received buy-in refunds despite provably having never been exposed to Lusardi or his phony chips.

There’s also approximately $9,000 in damages to plumbing system of Harrah’s Casino Hotel when Lusardi made his way to the hotel to flush 494 fake T5,000 and nine fake T25,000 chips down the toilet, which clogged it and left the water dripping from the ceilings below.