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TRENTON, NJ (Associated Press) - A North Carolina man accused of bringing millions of dollars in counterfeit poker chips to a tournament in New Jersey has been indicted on theft charges.
Prosecutors say 43-year-old Christian Lusardi, of Fayetteville, also faces charges of trademark counterfeiting and criminal mischief in the indictment handed up Wednesday by an Atlantic County grand jury.
Suspecting his fake chips had been noticed, authorities say Lusardi flushed them down the toilet in his hotel room. But the chips clogged the pipes, and other guests complained that water was dripping into their rooms.
Maintenance was called, and they found the chips, with a tournament value of 2.7 million, although they had no actual cash value.
A telephone number for Lusardi could not be found Wednesday. It's not known if he's retained an attorney.
