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It seems like someone took the “Hollywood” in Hollywood Casino a little too literally and tried to script their own money heist in Pennsylvania. Jennifer Petrillo, a 53-year-old part-time bookkeeper at the Penn National Race Course in Grantville, is currently facing the music after allegedly treating the casino’s racebook like her own personal piggy bank.
Pennsylvania State Police recently hit her with a number of felony charges, including theft and forgery. Investigators say she didn’t just skim a little off the top; instead, she managed to divert $727,446.65 into her own pockets over the course of about a year.
The ultimate shopping spree
How does one spend nearly three-quarters of a million dollars in such a short time? According to the police report, the shopping list was nothing short of dramatic. The stolen funds reportedly bankrolled a lifestyle that included:
- A new Tesla Model 3
- Luxury spa treatments to melt away the stress of, well, allegedly stealing
- Extensive plastic surgeries
- A curious amount of LEGO sets
- Hundreds of transfers via Cash App and investments on Robinhood
The scheme supposedly involved creating fictitious accounts and fake businesses to funnel checks out of the facility. The gig was finally up when an eagle-eyed coworker filling in while Petrillo was on medical leave noticed that the math simply wasn’t adding up.
Petrillo has her bail set at $10,000. She is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on March 24 in Dauphin County, where she will have to explain if those LEGO sets were worth the potential decades behind bars.
No crying in basketball
While a $700,000 hole in the books might make some businesses close their doors and dim the lights, Hollywood Casino is proving that the show must go on.
The casino is currently raving with fans as March Madness begins. They are hosting a “Beat the GM” Pop-a-Shot challenge on Thursday where guests can try to outshoot the boss for a chance at $250 in PENN Cash.
On top of that, they’ve rolled out a “Buzzer Beater Bonus” that gives everyone in the building a $10 bounce-back offer if any game ends with a winning shot in the final two seconds.
