A former table games dealer for Foxwoods Resort Casino who pleaded guilty to overpaying players by $18,000 received a suspended prison sentence and five-year term of probation Wednesday in New London Superior Court.

Alysia OLeary, 47, of Ashaway, R.I., also received a warning from the judge that she could go to prison if she steals as much as a toothpick.

OLeary had pleaded guilty to third-degree larceny and cheating at gambling and faced up to nine months in prison when she stood before Judge Hillary B. Strackbein.

According to an arrest warrant affidavit, Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Police watched from the surveillance department after an investigator for the Foxwoods Gaming Commission informed them on Dec. 4, 2016, that OLeary was cheating at a blackjack table in the Newport VIP Lounge inside the Grand Pequot Casino.

Over a 90-minute period, officers observed the dealer making a total of 68 overpayments totaling $11,275 to a patron later identified as Melinda Puzon. OLeary was cheating the casino by paying out on losing bets, not collecting on losing or tie bets, and giving away gaming chips, according to the affidavit.

The police went to the gaming floor and took both OLeary and Puzon into custody.

Specifics of Puzon's case are sealed, since she was granted entry into accelerated rehabilitation, a diversionary program that enables first-time offenders to avoid a criminal conviction.

The Mashantucket authorities, who said they already had been investigating OLeary when the incident occurred, later charged her with seven other cheating incidents in October and November 2016. The losses from all the thefts totaled $18,000, according to the state. The state has declined to prosecute those other charges.

In March 2019, OLeary was arrested on burglary and larceny charges after allegedly stealing items from a garage in Norwich.

Prosecutor Stephen M. Carney referred to other, uncharged incidents of theft as he argued OLeary should go to prison for nine months. He said she "appears to be a person who takes what doesn't belong to her."  

"My reason for asking for a modest amount of jail time is not just because it's a significant amount of money, but it's over a significant amount of time," Carney said.

Defense attorney Stephen E. Reck of Mariani, Reck, Lane law firm in New London asked the judge to impose a suspended sentence. Reck said OLeary has no previous record, has a job and already has set aside $3,393 toward restitution, despite going through a divorce and having to pay a mortgage and provide for her children.

OLeary said she was remorseful for her actions and took full responsibility.

Her daughter had written a letter saying OLeary was a good mother, but Judge Strackbein told her she is supposed to be a role model to her children, not a thief. The judge agreed to the suspended sentence but warned OLeary that if she steals even a toothpick while serving her probation, she would be at risk of going to prison.

Strackbein ordered OLeary to repay the casino $8,000 and told her, "We'll be watching you to see if you do the right thing."

k.florin@theday.com