Bethlehem man made $20,000 in video gambling voucher scam, AG’s office says

A Bethlehem man is accused of making thousands of dollars from a video gambling voucher scam in stores through eastern Pennsylvania, according to authorities.

The Attorney General’s Office said in a news release Friday that Anthony M. Diehl, 31, altered video gambling vouchers, which inflated the winnings, and cashed them at several locations.

Diehl is charged with felonies of corrupt organizations, forgery, theft by deception, theft, unlawful use of a computer and unlawful duplication. He remains free on $100,000 unsecured bail.

The AG’s office said Diehl would alter the vouchers using chemicals and printers to inflate the winnings. He then cashed them at convenience stores and gas stations, according to the release. He would either do it himself or recruit vulnerable individuals who needed money, authorities said.

Diehl made thousands by cashing the vouchers in multiple counties, the release states. Police found 100 altered vouchers on a computer belonging to Diehl, officials said. On Friday, police said the vouchers that were redeemed made a combined payout of more than $20,000. The investigation is still active.

He was arraigned on the charges Thursday morning in Northampton County. Diehl did not have an attorney listed for him Friday.