Man accused of altering tickets to steal hundreds of dollars

A Palmerton man is in jail after police say he altered tickets that were cashed in for hundreds of dollars more than what were actually won from state skill machines.

Tyler Easterly, 26, faces 20 counts of criminal conspiracy, six counts of forgery, unlawful duplication, access device fraud, unlawful device-making equipment, theft by deception, and receiving stolen property.

The incidents occurred between Jan. 1-31 at various locations in the borough.

According to an affidavit of probable cause filed by Detective Kevin Buck of the Palmerton Police Department:

On Jan. 19, the Carbon Mini Mart No. 2 manager called police to say she found two tickets for skills machines that she believed to be fraudulent because the paper felt different. The machines print out a money voucher redeemable at that location on that date.

She cross-referenced those ticket numbers with the machine’s information and found that the two tickets had a $3 payout but were altered. One had a $337 payout. The other had $1 payout but was altered to become a $420 payout.

Video surveillance of the tickets being cashed in showed a woman identified as Jamie Locher, 29, of Lehighton, and a man identified as Louis Zielinski, 26, of Palmerton.

Zielinski admitted to Buck on Jan. 25 to cashing the ticket at the Carbon Mini Mart No. 2. He said Easterly gave him the ticket and $100 for cashing the ticket.

Zielinski also said that Easterly asked him to drive a woman to another store along Route 873 and cash in another ticket for him.

Zielinski said that Easterly gave him a vehicle and he drove Locher to the gas station to cash another ticket.

Modifying tickets

Zielinski said when he arrived at the home to retrieve the vehicle, he saw Easterly and a teen standing at the computer celebrating as they printed tickets.

On Jan. 23, Locher admitted to police that she cashed in the tickets on three separate occasions.

On Jan. 8, she and Easterly walked to the 24/7 Laundry and Easterly gave her a ticket in the amount of $590 and told her to redeem it.

A few days later Easterly gave her a ticket to redeem for $864 at the Carbon Mini Mart.

Locher said Easterly made more tickets, this time for the mini mart.

Locher said that Easterly had made these tickets on a laptop along with the juvenile, and said that Easterly would scan the tickets, erase the ink, and then alter the numbers before printing out the new tickets.

The computer identified by Locher and Zielinski was seized, and several of the images of the tickets were found on the computer.

Surveillance video showed Easterly cashed a fraudulent ticket at the Blue Mountain Pub. The $1 ticket was altered to show $581.

Easterly denied any knowledge of the fraudulent tickets to Buck, and said that he obtained a ticket inside the bar to cash in for someone else.

However, video from the Blue Mountain Pub shows that there was no exchange of a ticket, and that Easterly produced the ticket on his own.

More people involved

Easterly is currently lodged in the Carbon County Correctional Facility in lieu of $100,000, 10 percent bail.

He is scheduled to have a preliminary hearing at 10 a.m. March 7 before District Judge William Kissner of Palmerton.

Locher faces nine counts of criminal conspiracy, and three counts each of access device fraud, theft by deception, and receiving stolen property.

Zielinski faces three counts of criminal conspiracy, access device fraud, theft by deception and receiving stolen property.

Other co-defendants include Joseph Walck, 28, Palmerton, and Michelle Kurtz, 31, Palmerton.

Kurtz told Buck that she was at her home trying to find a way to get a ride into town.

At that time, her roommate’s son said he could arrange a ride for her, and a few minutes later, Walck arrived and picked her up.

Kurtz said Walck handed her a ticket and asked her to cash it in, saying that he did not have identification, and that he would give her 10 percent.

Kurtz said she took the ticket and upon attempting to cash it in, the clerk refused to do so. At that time, Kurtz said that she felt like something was wrong.

Once they got back in the car, Walck told her to tell people that she was given the ticket by two people out front of the store that she did not know and appeared homeless.

Through the investigation, it was discovered that Walck is related to Easterly.

Buck made several attempts to locate and interview Walck, and was unable to do so.

Walck faces three counts of criminal conspiracy and criminal solicitation.

Kurtz faces three counts each of criminal attempt and criminal conspiracy.