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Official Accused Of Calling Bogus Bingo Numbers

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Oct 20, 2008 6:22 pm US/Eastern

Official Accused Of Calling Bogus Bingo Numbers

NORTH BELLE VERNON (KDKA) ― The president of a local fire department is accused of rigging a local bingo game so he could cash in on some of the winnings.

Roger Nogy, 53, of the North Belle Vernon Volunteer Fire Department, is accused of calling bogus bingo numbers so he and a friend could split the $1500 jackpot.

Two sisters, Desiree Watson and Deneen Christner told detectives that they observed Nogy drawing a number for the $1,500 prize - and then announcing a completely different number.

Rhoada Yusko, who attends the games, was surprised by the charges against Nogy.

"I doubted it very much when I read it even, because he's always been very nice to me and my friends," she said.

But in the criminal complaint the winner, Mary Gene Bridge, a close friend of Nogy's first denied that she gave him any of the prize money, or that there was any conspiracy.

However, under further questioning she admitted that Nogy "took $750 and she kept $750."

She said they had a longstanding "agreement that they split their winnings."

Bridge approximated that she split their winnings in half with Nogy on ten other occasions."

"I just find it hard to believe that Mr. Nogy would do something like that for such a small amount of money being involved," says Dennis Simboli, who served as a volunteer firefighter and on borough council with Nogy. "From what I've been hearing there may be some personal grudges that led to this -- some people may not like Nogy up there." 

No one was home at the Nogy's, but in a phone call, DeAnne Nogy said that her husband was away hunting and, "Not to believe everything you read in the papers."

Nogy is facing three misdemeanor counts, including theft by deception, theft by unlawful taking, and violating the small games of chance act in connection with the alleged incident.


(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

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