https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/michigan/2025/01/17/jury-convicts-man-in-bold-scheme-to-steal-700000-from-michigan-casino/77784902007/Jury convicts man in bold scheme to steal $700,000 from Michigan casino
Ed WhiteAssociated Press
Detroit – A Chicago man has been convicted in the theft of $700,000 from a Michigan casino, a brazen scheme in which an employee was tricked over the phone into stuffing the cash into a designer bag and driving 85 miles (137 kilometers) to deliver it.
“This case underscores the need for businesses, organizations and citizens to be diligent and cautious about phone and internet scams,” U.S. Attorney Mark Totten said.
The crime occurred in 2023 at the Four Winds Casino in Hartford in southwestern Michigan, which is operated by the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians. The FBI said a key employee who handles cash received a phone call and text messages directing her to immediately gather $700,000 for a tribal official.
No one stopped the employee as she filled a Michael Kors bag with bundles of cash, walked out of the casino and drove away.
