New Yorkers charged in Altoona skills machines thefts

ALTOONA, Pa. (WTAJ) – Three New Yorkers previously charged for alleged skills machines thefts in Centre County are now facing additional charges in Blair County after police have connected them to thefts in the Altoona area.

Jose Reynoso, 34, and Tiffany Cabrera, 27, both of New York, N.Y., and Warner Alvarez-Almanzar, 30, of Bronx, N.Y., are being accused of stealing over $19,000 from skills machines at four different businesses, including pizza shops and smoke shops, in Altoona and Logan Township in mid-October 2023.

The State College, Logan Township and Altoona police departments were all contacted in October and November 2023 by employees of DeLeo Games, Inc., who owned the skills machines, reporting money to have been missing from the machines when they went to collect it, prompting police to pull security video and photos from each of the businesses.

In each incident that took place between Oct. 15-19, 2023, police allege the same fact pattern: the defendants entered the stores, sat at a machine and used a homemade key to open it, removing the money. Police claim to have identified the defendants using security footage at the businesses, however were unable to identify at least two other individuals who are believed to be connected to the thefts.

In an interview with police, Alvarez-Almanzar allegedly admitted that he “made a bad choice and that he did it but was not a bad person,” according to a criminal complaint. His new charges, as well as Reynoso’s and Cabrera’s include three felony counts for theft and conspiracy. Alvarez-Almanzar and Reynoso also face additional related misdemeanor charges.