Casino security guard sentenced for theft

A Pocatello man was sentenced Tuesday to three weekends in jail for stealing money from the Fort Hall Sage Hill Casino. Cory Hugues, 44, pleaded guilty to the charge on August 26, 2015.

Hugues was employed by the casino as a uniformed security guard. He was charged with theft of funds from a gaming establishment on Indian lands.

According to court records, on January 27, 2015, Hugues was in the cash room at the casino with another employee. The other employee, a banker, counted the money in the safe. It was then Hugues’ duty to spin the dial on the safe to ensure it was locked. Hugues did a partial spin, which appeared to lock the safe, but did not actually do so. Surveillance video showed Hugues returning to the cash room later, opening the safe and reaching into it. He made a movement toward his left pocket area, then shut the safe, spun the dial and left the cash room. A cash count the following day showed $2,600 missing from the safe. Hugues was interviewed on a later date by law enforcement and he ultimately confessed to taking the $2,600 from the casino safe and using it to pay bills.

Senior US Judge Edward J. Lodge ordered Hugues to pay $2,600 in restitution and serve three years on probation.