Last Updated: November 04. 2010 1:02PM

Casino winner's cash seized at border

Birmingham man's gamble to conceal $19,901 from Windsor casino puts an end to his luck

Robert Snell / The Detroit News

A big winner at a Windsor casino turned out to be a big loser after lying to border officers about the cash.
Officers seized $19,901 in cash Monday from two unidentified Birmingham men who attempted to enter the United States via the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel after a night of gambling at the Caesars Windsor casino.

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When the men were stopped at the border at 11 p.m. Monday, they tried to dodge a rule requiring people to declare if they are carrying more than $10,000 in cash, which is used to verify the money's source and to block the flow of illegal cash. The car's driver had $9,400 while the passenger had $9,500, according to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
The men told officers they had taken $4,000 in cash to the casino and were returning with their winnings. But the passenger became nervous as officers started counting his money.
The man admitted he had lost money at the casino and that the $9,500 belonged to the driver.
The driver admitted winning $40,000 at the casino and said he had deposited $20,000 at the casino and split the balance with his buddy to avoid the $10,000 reporting requirement, according to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
"It is not illegal to carry money into or out of the country," Port Director Roderick Blanchard said in a prepared statement. "It is required that you give an accurate declaration of the amount of money you are carrying. Anyone carrying or causing to be carried in excess of $10,000 dollars must fill out the appropriate paperwork when entering or leaving the country."
Officers seized the cash, which is the penalty for trying to dodge the $10,000 reporting requirement.