Erie County District Attorney John J. Flynn announces that 20-year-old Emily M. Torres of Lackawanna and 28-year-old Mark M. Watson, Jr. of Buffalo were arraigned this morning before Buffalo City Court Judge Philip Dabney, Jr. on one count of Gaming Fraud in the First Degree (Class “E” felony).

A co-defendant, 34-year-old Rahat Hossain of Buffalo, was also charged with one count of Gaming Fraud in the First Degree. He was arraigned before Buffalo City Court Judge Shannon M. Heneghan on August 30, 2022.

It is alleged that during the late evening of August 14, 2022 and into the early morning hours of August 15, 2022, defendants Hossain and Watson, while being aided by defendant Torres, fraudulently won thousands of dollars while playing blackjack at the Seneca Buffalo Creek Casino on Fulton Street in the City of Buffalo. It is alleged that defendant Torres, while working as a blackjack dealer, showed her co-defendants the face of cards before their final decision of the round of play, giving an unfair advantage knowingly in violation of the rules of casino gaming.

Watson paid full restitution of $5,287.50 to the casino at the time of his arrest on August 16, 2022. Hossain also paid full restitution, in the amount of $2,210.00, to the casino when he was arrested on August 21, 2022.

Torres and Watson are scheduled to return before Judge Dabney on Wednesday, October 12, 2022 at 9:30 a.m. for a felony hearing. Hossain is scheduled to return before Judge Heneghan on Thursday, October 6, 2022 at 9:30 a.m. All three defendants were released on their own recognizance as the charge is a non-qualifying offense for bail.

Temporary orders of protection were issued on behalf of the casino, which orders all three defendants to stay away from the Seneca Buffalo Creek Casino and all other Seneca Gaming Corporation properties.

If convicted of the charge, the maximum sentence is one year in jail.

DA Flynn commends Detective William Drabik and the Buffalo Police Department for their work in this investigation.

The cases are being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Kevin Southern, Megan A. Connelly and Kristen S. Fischer of the Buffalo City Court Bureau.

As are all persons accused of a crime, the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.