Seattle mayor’s son gets term for casino-scam
SEATTLE – The son of Seattle’s mayor was sentenced to three months in federal prison Friday for his role in a casino-cheating scam, and got a hug from his father after leaving the courtroom.
When the prison term is up, Jacob Nickels, 26, must serve an additional three months of home confinement, three years of supervised release, and he must repay the $90,500 the scam cost the Nooksack Indian Tribe near Bellingham. His lawyer, Jeff Robinson, told U.S. District Judge John C. Coughenour that Nickels would deliver his first check – for $4,000 – following the hearing.
“This is an action I will regret for the rest of my life,” Nickels told the judge.
Nickels was a pit boss as the Nooksack River Casino in October 2005 when, prosecutors said, he accepted $5,000 from George Lee. Prosecutors allege Lee was a member of a multistate casino cheating ring. In exchange for the money, Nickels introduced Lee to two mini-baccarat dealers, who agreed to perform false shuffles that allowed Lee and another person to walk away with more than $90,000, prosecutors said.
Overall, prosecutors said, the ring cheated casinos in several states out of millions of dollars. The Emerald Queen Casino near Fife lost $868,000 in one game.
Robinson argued that the conduct was an aberration, and noted that Nickels, who pleaded guilty in August to one count of conspiracy, was quick to take full responsibility. Robinson asked the judge to sentence Nickels to six months home confinement.
But Assistant U.S. Attorney J. Tate London said that as a pit boss and floor supervisor, Nickels played an integral role in the scam, and it was his job to blow the whistle on Lee.
He said his office had treated Nickels as any other defendant despite his family ties, and he asked Coughenour to do the same. The government recommended five months in prison followed by five months home confinement – totaling the low end of the 10-16 month guideline range.
Mayor Greg Nickels and his wife, Sharon, attended the hearing but did not speak in court.
“This has been a very difficult time for our family and today’s decision will help bring this issue to a close,” the mayor said in a statement issued after the hearing. “While the next few months won’t be easy for any of us, Sharon and I know that Jake did the right thing by accepting responsibility for his actions and cooperating with investigators. We love our son and will continue to support him in the months and years ahead.”
Coughenour also sentenced one of the casino dealers, Kasey McKillip, 23, of East Wenatchee, to three months in prison, four months home confinement, and $45,000 in restitution.
William Coleman, a member of the Nooksack Tribal Council, told the court the money the casino lost would have been used to provide social services to the tribe, including the construction of houses for homeless members.
“We’re not going to be able to meet our schedules to build homes for these people,” he said.