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Show i ____TheSaltLakeTribune INTERMOUNTAIN/NATION Friday, June 12, 1998 A7 Tougher.Border Patrol Alleged Slot Plot: The $6 Million Scam Brings More Violence Four accusedof cheating Las Vegascasinos by programming machinesto win Recent shooting of agent underscores readiness to respond with weapons an alleged slot-machine scam lasting 13 months and cheating Las Vegas casinosout of more than $6 mil- effective, thanks to the addition ARIZONA DAILYSTAR TUCSON,Ariz — A US. Border Patrol agentis beaten nearly unconscious byillegal entrants he is trying to arrest. A man about 20 feet south of the Douglas-Agua Prieta border fence hurls rocks and bottles at two BorderPatrol agents. One refee by firing his weapon at the er pursuing a large group of illegal entrants in Douglas are pelted with stones. One young member of the group punches an agentin the face. A weekafter the shooting death of a Border Patrol agent near Nogales, tension, frustration and violence are commonplace along a border that is tougher than ever to cross illegally Incidents in Cochise County since the tragedy suggest illegal entrants and drug smugglers are increasingly willing to resist the authority of U.S. Border Patrol agents in the field — and that agents confronted byviolence are prepared to respondin kind. Assistant Sector Chief George Lopez said the incidents may reflect agents’ heightened awareness of potential threats in the wake of agent Alexander Kirpnick’s death. Theyare also an indication of rising frustration at the Border Patrol’s improved ability to thwart smuggling opera- tions. As the agency has gotten more of agents and other resources, “thatraises the incentiveto try to Tun, as opposed to give up andreturn to Mexico as they did in the past,”’ Lopez said Kirpnick and another agent were apprehending a group of backpackers transporting marijuana early June 3 when he was fatally shotin the head. One Mexican national has been charged in the shooting, and a cross-border search for other suspects is continuing. Border Patrol spokesman Rob Daniels said the beating incident began early Monday morning, whenagents working west of Willcox attempted to stop two vans. As the vehicles cameto a stop, several people jumpedout of the lead_van and ran. One of the agents ran after those people as the secondagent tried to stop the others from running. That agent was in the process of LAS VEGAS SUN LAS VEGAS — Fourpeople havebeenarrestedin ion. Thealleged schemenetted a Jaguar from the Lux- or hotel-casino — the vehicle was sold later for $57,000 — and a BMW from theRio hotel-casino, although $30,000 in cash was accepted instead of that automobile Three of the defendants madebrief court appearances before U.S. Magistrate Robert Johnston, who ordered the two to remain in custody without bail until detention hearings Monday. They included Dennis Nikrasch, 56, the purported mastermind of the scam, and EugeneBulgarino, 65, an alleged keyplayer in the operation, according to federal documents. Bulgarino’s wife, Joan, 66, was ordered by Johnston to be released without bail pending court hearingslater this month. Sheis alleged in the complaint to have acted as a lookout while slot machines were being manipulated to pay out large jackpots. The fourth defendant, Ronnie Gale McElveen, 59, was arrested at his home in Modesto, Calif., according to an FBI news release. Thefederal complainttells a story of an organized group that wouldselect vulnerable machines, screen the manipulations from security cameras and guards and bring in outsiders to win the bogus jackpots without drawing suspicion. The “winners” took a slice of the proceeds — sometimesthousands of dollars — in exchange for a few minutes of work. Two of the outsiders were from Phoenix, where the Bulgarinos have children and grandchildren. Court documents allege that Nikrasch “is a computer expert who actually opens the slot machines and uses a hand-held concealed computer or device to programtheslot machine to win.’ An informant working with the FBI indicated Nikrasch has a slot machine in the garage at his Las Vegas hometouse for practice. The charges claim that Nikrasch canalter slot machine in less than a minute, leaving two of the three wheels in a winningposition. The complaint charges the defendants with conspiracy, interstate travel in aid of racketeering and interstate transportation of stolen property. Officials See Links Between Killings in 4 States unloading illegal entrants from THE ASSOCIATED PRESS tors from four westernstates said enforcement agencies believe the deaths of as many as six women maybe attributed to the individ- investigators have been trying to determine whether her killer also murdered seven other women in Nevada, Utah and Wyoming. close the van door when someone struck him from behind and ual they've dubbed the Great Basin Killer. At least two of the wo- woman last year and several un- peared to have been dumpedaf- knocked him to the ground, where ing this decade. men were prostitutes known to frequent truck stops. The slayings extend back to the early 1970s. point of nearly losing conscious- last week, the lawenforcementof- Despite his injuries, the agent, ficials from Wyoming, Idaho, Nevada and Utah compared several he was kicked andbeaten to the ness,” said Daniels. whose namewasnot released, was able to get to his feet and regain controlofthe situation and the 37 illegal entrants in his custody when backuparrived a few minutes later. There was no indication he received medical treatment, Daniels said. tween the death of a Shoshoni At a meeting in Salt Lake City cases and found a numberofsimi- larities. They determined that ‘‘a number of the homicides are probably of a serial typekilling,” said Sheriff Byron Stommel of Bonneville County, Idaho. Indeed, the FBI and other law At least three of the victims, Allthe victims were found near Interstates 15, 80 and 90 and ap- ter death, andall showedsigns of physical and sexual abuse. Also,all the womenweresaid to found nude, were “posed” in a sexually explicit manner, according to news reports. The bodyof 18-year-old Tonya Teske was found last August in Bonneville County at a highway on-ramp near Ucon. The causeof her death was nevergiven, but au- werein their 20s or 30s, and most died of multiple gunshot wounds or strangulation. ue shortly after her death, have not been identified. erties havetreatedit as a homi- production to a standstill in a matter of days. The walkout by United Auto Workers (UAW) at the Delphi Flint East complex, which makes parts for most GM cars and trucks in North America, comessix days after workers went on strike at a Flint stamping plant The first walkout by 3,400 workers that began June 5 at a metal stampingplant in Flint has already crippled the company. That strike has caused a parts shortage that has forced the layoff of nearly 25,000 workers at eight assembly plants and 16 GMownedparts plants from Mexico The they have found possible links be- solved killings in the region dur- most of GM’s North American to Canada. “Heordered them to close the RIVERTON, Wyo. — Investiga- THE ASSOCIATED PRESS FLINT, Mich. — Workers at a second General Motors Corp. plant went on strike Thursday evening, a move that could bring Delphi complex makes electronic instruments, such as door andstay in the van. When they persisted, he went over to the first van when several people attempted to flee the second van. Strike at 2nd Plant Could Shut Down GM Nationwide have hitchhiked often and trav- eled with truck drivers. Most Officials said the traveling habits of the victims madetheinvesti- gationsdifficult. It took authorities 10 days to identify Teske’s body, and some of the victims speedometers, and a variety of other engine components, such as sparkplugsand filters. It employs about 5,800 hourly workers. A shutdown there would affect most of GM’s 28 major, wholly owned assembly plants in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Chad Morris, a spokesman for UAW Local 651, said workers wenton strike just before 7 p.m. He said negotiations had failed. Jobs are the primary issue in both disputes. The UAW fears GM maytransfer work out of the plants or close them eventually. The Delphiplantis considered especially vulnerable because the low-tech parts it makes can be produced much more cheaply outside the United States. UNCLAIMED Great _ Gift Ideas for Dad! 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