
- Details
- By Kyle Edwards
MIAMI –– A Miami Beach man who worked at Miccosukee Indian Gaming has been sentenced to federal prison for stealing more than $5 million from the tribally owned casino.
On Monday, a federal judge in Miami sentenced Lester Lavin, 44, to four years and three months in prison, and his girlfriend Anisleydi Vergel Hermida, 31, also of Miami Beach, to six months for helping Lavin launder his cut of the stolen money, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida.
Investigators from the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, the FBI’s Miami Field Office and the Miccosukee Police Department worked the case and made the announcement.
They say Lavin worked at the casino, run by the Miccosukee tribe, for 12 years, first as a video technician and then later as a supervisor. Two years after his promotion, in 2011, Lavin and several coworkers began tampering with the gambling machines’ computers at the casino. The machines would generate credit vouchers that were then exchanged for cash at ATMs on the casino floor by other conspirators who were not casino employees.
Investigators said Lavin and his co-conspirators –– his own supervisor Michel Aleu, two video technicians, Yohander Jorrin Melhen and Leonardo Betancourt, and others –– committed their fraud and embezzlement scheme for more than four years between 2011 and 2015, and stole about $5.3 million from Miccosukee Indian Gaming.
Last December, Lavin pleaded guilty to three counts, and Vergel Hermida pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering. The couple forfeited their Miami Beach condo, another property and Florida Prepaid College Plans for two of Lavin’s children, authorities said. All were purchased with his share of the stolen money.
Aleu, Jorrin Melhen, Betancourt –– all former employees at Miccosukee Resort & Gaming –– and their respective spouses have also pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing later this month and in August.
More Stories Like This
Native News Weekly (August 25, 2024): D.C. BriefsUS Presidents in Their Own Words Concerning American Indians
Native News Weekly (August 4, 2024): D.C. Briefs
Seattle Seahawks Tackle Preservation Projects at Daybreak Star Indian Cultural Center for Annual Day of Service
Native News Weekly (June 15, 2025): D.C. Briefs
Help us tell the stories that could save Native languages and food traditions
At a critical moment for Indian Country, Native News Online is embarking on our most ambitious reporting project yet: "Cultivating Culture," a three-year investigation into two forces shaping Native community survival—food sovereignty and language revitalization.
The devastating impact of COVID-19 accelerated the loss of Native elders and with them, irreplaceable cultural knowledge. Yet across tribal communities, innovative leaders are fighting back, reclaiming traditional food systems and breathing new life into Native languages. These aren't just cultural preservation efforts—they're powerful pathways to community health, healing, and resilience.
Our dedicated reporting team will spend three years documenting these stories through on-the-ground reporting in 18 tribal communities, producing over 200 in-depth stories, 18 podcast episodes, and multimedia content that amplifies Indigenous voices. We'll show policymakers, funders, and allies how cultural restoration directly impacts physical and mental wellness while celebrating successful models of sovereignty and self-determination.
This isn't corporate media parachuting into Indian Country for a quick story. This is sustained, relationship-based journalism by Native reporters who understand these communities. It's "Warrior Journalism"—fearless reporting that serves the 5.5 million readers who depend on us for news that mainstream media often ignores.
We need your help right now. While we've secured partial funding, we're still $450,000 short of our three-year budget. Our immediate goal is $25,000 this month to keep this critical work moving forward—funding reporter salaries, travel to remote communities, photography, and the deep reporting these stories deserve.
Every dollar directly supports Indigenous journalists telling Indigenous stories. Whether it's $5 or $50, your contribution ensures these vital narratives of resilience, innovation, and hope don't disappear into silence.
The stakes couldn't be higher. Native languages are being lost at an alarming rate. Food insecurity plagues many tribal communities. But solutions are emerging, and these stories need to be told.
Support independent Native journalism. Fund the stories that matter.
Levi Rickert (Potawatomi), Editor & Publisher