A 73 year old woman is accused of stealing more then $600 dollars from a bingo hall over the weekend. Ann Marie Pinto is currently facing grand theft charges and she was released from the Pasco County jail in Land O' Lakes on Sunday. She is now out on bail after 10 percent of her $5,000 dollar was posted.

She said that she took the money because her daughter is being evicted and all I want to know is who came up with the $500 dollars to bail her out and why didn't they just pay Ann's daughter rent, because then the whole situation would have been avoided.

According to a New Port Richey police report, Pinto went to the into went to the Disabled American Veterans Chapter 78 building on Jefferson Street where they were holding Saturday night bingo. She then asked the person that was working in the office for a cushion to sit on.

She then waited for him to assist her and he turned his back on a wad of cash and the open cash box to get her the cushion and then a few minutes later he noticed that the stack of cash was now missing.

The Chapter Commander, Alan Bedor said that he immediately suspected Pinto of the theft. Since he had no evidence he began searching the premises including the restrooms where he found a trash bag with instant bingo tickets and Marlboro Lights cigarette butts with traces of pink lipstick inside.

With this knowledge he then walked around the bingo hall and saw that only person was smoking that brand and wearing pink lipstick and the woman was Pinto. He said that he had never seen Pinto but instant bingo tickets but that she bought $26 dollars worth.

He then called the police and according to their report she at first said that she didn't know anything about the missing money. But then she let police search her purse where they found $677 dollars, the total amount from the stack and the cash box.

She had no prior arrests in Florida and she reportedly told police that her daughter that lived up North was begin evicted and that she took the money so she could send it to her. Bedor said he told Pinto something else: "You are a thief. You are going to jail."



- 2008-07-23