As Judge Robert Clive Jones enters the courtroom, plaintiff Frank Romano takes a deep breath. Finally, after all this time, his opportunity to seek justice has arrived. As Judge Jones bangs his gavel, a trial to determine the responsibility for the largest cheating scandal in Nevada Gaming History begins. Several years earlier, beneath the neon lights of Las Vegas, Romano became a partner in the American Coin Company. In the 1980s, as the company grew to be the third largest slot company in Nevada, Romano was content with his challenging and profitable work, despite regularly being at odds with his partners over the operating principles of the business. But in 1989, Romano's world changed forever when American Coin was seized and closed by the Gaming Control Board for rigging programs. In his gripping story of white collar crime, Frank shares the incredible details of his fall from grace and how he dedicated the rest of his life to recovering his monetary losses and professional reputation. American Coin provides an unforgettable glimpse behind closed doors of Nevada's biggest gaming scandal as one man embarks on a road to redemption lined with betrayal, deception, and murder. American Coin A True Story of Betrayal, Gambling, and Murder in Las Vegas By Frank Romano iUniverse, Inc. Copyright © 2013 Frank Romano All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-1-4759-8508-5 CHAPTER 1 While Ed began his opening remarks, I drifted downmemory lane ... One day in January 1988, I returned to the American CoinEnterprises warehouse and office, after finishing my routecollections from the dozens of game machines we had placed allover the city of Las Vegas. I moved forty-pound sacks of coins outof the trunk of my car and into the counting room at the office,grunting as I lifted the quarters to the counting table. "Good pull today," I said to Bernie, the counting room manager.Bernie began opening the sacks and pouring them into the countingmachine. The jangle of metal made me feel hopeful; the sound ofmoney always cheered me up. "Yeah, seems like we're starting off the New Year right," he said. I headed upstairs to get coffee. On my way, Rudy LaVecchiaSr. called me into his office. "Guess what?" he said. "Rudy Junior isgetting married." My mouth dropped open. "To who? I mean, to whom?" "Beth!" "Oh yeah? Beth who?" Senior glared at me and replied, "Diane's daughter, Beth." Diane was Senior's second wife, raised on a potato farm inMaine, where her father was a laborer. In my opinion, she wasthe most self-centered and selfish person I had ever met. A classic"trophy wife" type, Diane was blonde, busty (via implants), andutterly focused on maintaining her appearance. She looked demure,but she was a spider; a Scorpion personality full of venom. Diane'sgreatest fear was being without money in her old age. Beth and Rudy Junior had been raised together in their parents'combined household. As far as I was concerned, they were siblings. "How can that work? They're brother and sister!" I spoke inabsolute shock. The whole idea felt all wrong to me. "Well, technically they're not related by blood," Senior remindedme. "Anyway, they're getting married!" As we sat talking about the kids, other points became very cleartoo. Now I could see Diane's hand in this matchmaking project; shewanted security for herself and her daughter and figured marryingtwice into the LaVecchia family was the way to do it. Now past theinitial confusion, I began to consider what Maria was going to sayabout this lash-up. "Have you told Maria or Lee yet?" Senior shook his head. "No, not yet. But I'll call them thisafternoon. I want each of them to hear this from me." Better you than me. I couldn't help but smile at the thought of the list of questionsMaria would cook up within moments of learning the news. AsSenior continued speaking, I wondered about what the relationshipbetween Junior and Beth must have been like with the two of themgrowing up under the same roof. Creepy. Although the business partnership between the LaVecchia menand me over the past four years was extremely profitable, it certainlywasn't a match made in heaven. For years it had been a continuousfight: father and son vs. the son-in-law, me. We'd been at odds overthe operating principles of the business from the very start. Seniorand Junior had been investing capital into the partnership. Onthe other hand, I was a firm believer in building the best possiblegaming devices on the planet. Rudy Junior always managed to put more fuel on the fire. Heknew that no matter what he did, his father would support hisactions. If anything came to a partnership vote, it was always thefather and son (the two) against me (the one). A previous Saturday in the office was typical. My old friend Bobwas visiting me there. Rudy Junior became outraged, screamingand carrying on. He created such a scene about Bob being on thepremises that even I was really very surprised. Bob was a friend of mine from my days at Budget R