Louis B. Colavecchio (January 1, 1942 – July 6, 2020) was an American casino counterfeiter known as "The Coin". While residing in Rhode Island, Colavecchio defrauded several Atlantic City and Connecticut casinos until his arrest and initial conviction in 1998. He had led a gang which fabricated numerous slot machine coins using hardened steel dies of the originals, and was revealed when casinos began to notice a surplus of coins on their gaming floors. Sentenced to seven years, Colavecchio was released in 2006. He was arrested by the FBI only a few months later after having resumed his activities, and released on a $25,000 surety bond.[1] His counterfeiting equipment was auctioned off on eBay following his arrest,[2] and crimes were the subject of a documentary series Breaking Vegas from The History Channel, where he was portrayed by Angelo Fierro. Due to the initial success of his crime, casinos have slowly phased out tokens, replacing them with paper vouchers. Today slot machines will dispense a paper voucher when a player cashes out. The vouchers are then redeemed for cash at kiosks located next to the cashier.
Colavecchio collaborated with Andy Thibault, a veteran journalist, and Franz Douskey, author of several non-fiction books, including SINATRA & ME: The Very Good Years, to write a memoir, “You Thought It Was More – Adventures of the World’s Greatest Counterfeiter, Louis The Coin.” It was published by IceBox Publishing LLC in 2015.[3]
In August 2019, Colavecchio was sentenced to 15 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to manufacturing counterfeit $100 bills.[4] He died a few weeks after a federal judge granted him compassionate release from the Federal Medical Center in Butner, N.C., a prison for inmates with special health needs.[5]
Notes
edit- ^ "Louis Colavecchio". Casino Control Commission. State of New Jersey. Retrieved January 30, 2021.
- ^ "Louis "The Coin" Colavecchio's counterfeiting equipment is auctioned off". Counterfeit Coin Newsletter. pp. No. 11. Retrieved November 18, 2009.
- ^ You Thought It Was More: Adventures of the World's Greatest Counterfeiter, Louis the Coin Paperback – January 12, 2015. Cool Justice LLC and Louis the Coin Book LLC. January 12, 2015. ISBN 9780990419877. Retrieved February 23, 2020.
{{cite book}}:|website=ignored (help) - ^ Mulvaney, Katie (August 21, 2019). "77-year-old 'world's greatest counterfeiter' is heading back to prison". Providence Journal. Retrieved December 7, 2019.
- ^ Morales, Christina (July 13, 2020). "Louis Colavecchio, Master Counterfeiter, Is Dead at 78". New York Times. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
External links
edit- “You Thought It Was More – Adventures of the World’s Greatest Counterfeiter, Louis The Coin.”
- The Cool Justice Report: Louis the Coin update 11-21-19 from Butner, NC
22:47, 30 January 2021 (UTC)