The deputy commander of all U.S. nuclear forces was relieved of duty on Wednesday amid allegations that he used counterfeit chips at an Iowa casino.
Iowa officials have accused Vice Adm. Tim Giardina of using $1,500 in counterfeit chips at a casino across the Missouri River from the Strategic Command headquarters near Omaha, Nebraska. Giardina, who has yet to be charged with a crime, hasn’t commented on the allegations, the Associated Press reports.
Giardina, a career submarine officer who commanded 10 nuclear-armed Trident submarines in the early 2000s, was one of the top officers at U.S. Strategic Command, which oversees all nuclear war fighting forces, including submarines, missiles and bombers.
[AP]