MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, announced that CRYSTAL DEANN AIRINGTON, age 40, of Durant, Oklahoma, pled guilty to THEFT BY OFFICERS OR EMPLOYEES OF GAMING ESTABLISHMENT ON INDIAN LANDS, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 1168(b) and 2, punishable by not more than 20 years imprisonment, up to a $1,000,000.00 fine or both.
The Indictment alleged that from in or about January, 2012 to on or about Dec. 15, 2012, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma, CRYSTAL DEANN AIRINGTON, defendant herein, while an employee of the Choctaw Nation Casino and Resort, did embezzle, abstract, purloin, willfully misapply, and take and carry away in excess of $1,000.00 of moneys belonging to the Choctaw Nation Casino and Resort, an Indian gaming establishment operated by the Choctaw Nation in Indian Country, pursuant to an ordinance or resolution approved by the National Indian Gaming Commission.
The charges arose from an investigation by the Choctaw Nation Tribal Police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
The Honorable Kimberly E. West, Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, in Muskogee, accepted the guilty plea and ordered the completion of a presentence report. Sentencing will be scheduled following its completion. The defendant will remain on bond pending sentencing.
Assistant United States Attorney Edward Snow represented the United States.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
