- A Las Vegas native got his name added to the Nevada Excluded Persons list for stealing thousands of dollars worth of casino chips across 15 casinos.
- Neal Ahmed Hearne became the 37th person on the list, also known as the “black book.”
- A five-member board unanimously agreed to issue the lifetime Nevada casino ban after the man was caught stealing chips off the blackjack table.
LAS VEGAS – A chip thief in Las Vegas was added to the Nevada Excluded Persons list on Thursday. The Nevada Gaming Commission unanimously agreed to add the man onto the “black book” for stealing chips from 15 different blackjack tables across Las Vegas.
Neal Ahmed Hearne is the 37th person on Nevada’s Excluded Persons list, forever banning him from entering casinos in the state. After discussion of his punishment in Thursday’s meeting, the commission unanimously agreed to issue the life-time ban.
Hearne Fulfilled All Three Criteria For Black Book
“Are we, as a Nevada Gaming Commission, going to place anyone who’s grabbed chips from a table in a casino on the excluded list?,” asked Commissioner Brian Krolicki to the commission in Thursday’s meeting. This was the main point of discussion before the five-member board agreed on placing Hearne on the Excluded Persons list.
According to Senior Deputy Attorney General John Michela, Hearne had a prior felony conviction, had a conviction of a crime of moral turpitude, and received a judicial order banning him from casinos. Although the Commission has the power to ban Hearne with fulfilling just one of the criteria, Hearne checked every box.
Surveillance footage showed Hearne approaching a live dealer blackjack table at the Aria Casino, swiping thousands of dollars worth of chips and running off while guests and workers stood in shock.