A Pittsburgh-area man who admitted to helping rip nearly $900,000 out of cash-loaded skill‑gaming machines across Pennsylvania, including hits in Ross, Crafton and other local communities, has been credited with time served in federal court and is now set to be deported to the Dominican Republic. Stalin Acosta Paulino has been in custody since September 2023 and has spent roughly 35 months behind bars, with federal filings casting him as a low-level collector in a multistate operation that funneled cash back to co-conspirators.
According to TribLIVE, Paulino pleaded guilty in January to conspiracy to transport stolen money and interstate transportation of stolen money and was credited with time served at a June 29, 2026, hearing. Court records and a sentencing memorandum describe him as a lawful permanent resident who arrived in the United States in 2016 and note that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has lodged a detainer seeking his removal.
Related Pleas Point To A Bigger Crew
Earlier guilty pleas in the same investigation show Paulino was not operating solo. Prosecutors say the thefts were part of a broader, multistate ring that went after skill‑game machines in convenience stores and small businesses. In a related 2025 plea, a New York man admitted to taking part in thefts totaling more than $500,000 across Pennsylvania and Virginia, underscoring investigators' view that traveling crews crossed state lines to pry open cash boxes and move the proceeds elsewhere, according to EYT Media.
Local Court Records Show Parallel Cases
State court calendars list multiple dockets under Paulino’s name, reflecting separate cases that local prosecutors pursued while the federal investigation was still coming together. County listings and public court schedules show how the broader probe spun off these parallel state matters before a federal indictment pulled the pieces into a consolidated case.
How Prosecutors Say The Operation Worked
Federal filings, described in court documents, allege the conspiracy ran from April 2022 through June 2023 and drained about $896,000 from skill‑gaming machines in Pennsylvania and Virginia. Targets included businesses in Ross, Crafton and other Pittsburgh‑area neighborhoods, along with locations in Clearfield, Harrisburg, Johnstown and Norristown. The indictment and related documents reportedly outline phone contacts that listed business names, prior thefts, lock‑picking methods, amounts taken and notes about whether security cameras were on the premises. Prosecutors say co-defendant Rolando Jose Pena kept contact lists and photos that were used to plan the hits, according to TribLIVE. A sentencing memorandum filed for Paulino quotes his defense lawyer as saying he "initially believed that it was a legitimate job, but, after some time, he concluded that the money collected was being stolen," and that family financial pressure influenced his decision to keep working with the crew.
What Happens Next
With his federal case wrapped, Paulino is slated to be turned over to immigration authorities for removal to the Dominican Republic, while other defendants and remaining counts in the larger investigation continue to move through the courts. Prosecutors say the case is a cautionary tale for small, cash-heavy neighborhood businesses, which can be particularly vulnerable to organized crews willing to travel across jurisdictions to raid skill‑game machines and leave local owners holding the bag.
