Crime & Safety
Burnsville Man Accused of Taking Welfare After Big Wins at Mystic Lake
Prosecutors have filed a lawsuit, according to CBS Minnesota.
A Burnsville man is accused accepting around $7,000 in government welfare after winning nearly $240,000 at Mystic Lake Casino in Prior Lake from 2010 to 2012.
According to CBS Minnesota, the Dakota County Attorney's Office filed a lawsuit against Jin Park for not reporting the casino winnings:
“There’s a lot of folks in our county who need public assistance and are entitled to receiving public assistance,” Dakota County Attorney Jim Backstrom told CBS Minnesota. “If individuals are defrauding and collecting that assistance inappropriately, it harms us all.”
According to the complaint, three counts of wrongfully obtaining assistance are listed against Park.
Park has received assistance from Dakota County Employment and Economic Assistance since 2007, and as part of the requirements Park completed and signed multiple application forms from April 2010 through April 2012. However, within those application forms, Park never reported any additional earned or unearned income other than income from social security, according to the complaint.
After an investigation determined that Park had not reported earnings, law enforcement made contact with him. According to the complaint, Park admitted to frequenting Mystic Lake Casino and confirmed that he had the total amount of winnings reported. However, Park also claimed that since he also lost money, he felt he did not need to report.
The casino gave the following numbers to authorities regarding Park's cash "buy ins" from 2010-2012:
- 2010: $45,852.00;
- 2011: $187,423.00;
- 2012: $27,361.00 (as of May 3, 2012).
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