Bad Roll

Lateek Kahmal Taylor, who went by "Tray," had dealt at the Murphy casino since about 2014, a court filing states. His table was Quartz, a craps game that mixes live dice with electronic betting. Taylor was the stickman, so he ran the table and typed every outcome into the terminal that settles the bets.

Prosecutors allege that from mid July to the end of August 2024, Taylor worked with Donta Dewayne Harris, nicknamed "Johnny Mathis," and other players to take money from the house.

The filing says Harris texted Taylor to learn his shifts and showed up at his table with companions. Harris allegedly directed the others on which bets to place and where.

Two tricks are described. With Harris holding the dice, Taylor would at times declare a losing throw a "bad roll," which voids it, and let Harris shoot again. At other times, according to prosecutors, Taylor keyed in a win no matter what the dice actually showed.

The filing says the casino lost $131,858.36 over just a few hours. Taylor allegedly received roughly $45,000 in cash from Harris. The government wants at least $131,858.36 forfeited; it is not known whether anything has been recovered.

In court papers that became public in late September, Taylor admitted he knowingly joined a plan to defraud the casino. A federal judge in Asheville was due to hear his plea on October 9. Published accounts mention the plea deal but no sentence, and they do not name the counts he agreed to admit.

Harris is contesting his case. On August 12 he entered not guilty pleas on all three counts and requested a jury trial, with a docket call listed for November 2. He remains innocent unless a court finds otherwise.

The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians owns Harrah's Cherokee Valley River, and Caesars Entertainment runs it.