Man Facing Charges for Using ‘Vibrating Device’ at Washington Casino

^{Suspect Jeremiah K. Villegas visited Northern Quest Resort & Casino, pictured here, several times prior to his arrest. (Photo: courtesy of Northern Quest Resort & Casino)}

A 33-year-old man is facing criminal charges after police say that he used a “vibrating device” to illegally manipulate a machine at the Northern Quest Resort & Casino in Airway Heights, Washington.

Authorities are charging Jeremiah K. Villegas with one count of second-degree cheating and another charge of second-degree burglary.

Kalispel Agents Catch Suspicious Activity at Coin Machines

The case stemmed from Villegas's visits to Northern Quest during the summer of 2025. On Sept. 3, a Kalispel Tribal police officer contacted Villegas, alleging that Villegas had trespassed at the casino.

The trespassing allegation followed the Kalispel Tribal Gaming Agency (KTGA) banning Villegas from all Kalispel Tribal gaming properties for 99 years. According to the KTGA, Villegas was banned for assaults, threats, and for “pushing and kicking” coin slot machines since 2024. The agency said it had received threatening emails and phone calls from Villegas after a slot shift manager contacted him about his suspicious behavior at those machines.

After the officer contacted Villegas, gaming agents with the KTGA told the officer that they suspected Villegas might be using a vibrating device on coin machines in order to manipulate them. Two other agents also reported they saw suspicious behavior from Villegas between Aug. 26 and Sept. 3 at Northern Quest.

Video footage from the casino and inside the machines themselves – known as coin pushers, in which the goal is to get coins to fall into a dispenser on each play – allegedly showed Villegas inserting funds to play, then pressing against the sides of the machines while his hands were in his sweatshirt pocket. During that time, the machine could be seen vibrating.

Villegas allegedly continued pressing against the machines to trigger bonuses during play. Court documents say the footage also showed Villegas kicking the sides of the machines while playing. After winning on one machine, he’d cash out and move on to the next.

Trespassing Violation Led to Burglary Charge

Initially, Villegas was arrested on Oct. 12 and faced 14 charges, each of second-degree burglary and first-degree cheating. According to Court records, the burglary charges stem from the fact that Villegas’ ban from the casino meant he was trespassing during his cheating incident. Prosecutors have since reduced the charges to one count of each crime and reduced the cheating charge to a second-degree offense.

The details of the case have recently come to light after Villegas was arrested on March 31 for fourth-degree assault for hitting a man near Spokane, Washington. Because that charge violated his release conditions for the pending trial on the cheating and burglary charges, a warrant was issued for his arrest. 

The Spokesman-Review reported that Villegas remained at Geiger Corrections Center as of April 22, and that his trial is set for May. 

That same report found that cheating charges are relatively uncommon in Washington. According to Washington State Gambling Commission spokesperson Troy Kirby, the commission investigates an average of 20 to 30 cheating cases per year. Since January 2025, Kirby said the commission has investigated 52 cases, with only seven resulting in criminal charges.