Michigan: Scammers impersonate a tribal chairperson in a $700,000 casino heist
Image shared by the Department of Justice. A bundle of cash found in the suspect’s residence, with the same label attached that is used by the casino.
The turtle pace of justice can feel like an injustice to victims who are targeted in the overwhelming amount of scams across the country. The prosecution of a 2023 casino heist has given someone their life back and put the correct perpetrator in custody. The $700,000 heist started with a scam phone call.
In July of 2023, the Four Winds Casino received a call from someone that claimed to be a tribal chairperson, they were requesting to speak to the cage manager at the casino. The cage manager handles a large amount of cash that is stored at the casino. The cage also has a designated cell phone, and shortly after the initial call, the cell phone began receiving text messages.
The messages claimed to be from the cage director and instructed the cage manager to assist with an urgent payment within twenty minutes. The cage manger prepared the money and left the casino to meet the individual in Gary, Indiana to pick up the $700,000 in cash.
The caller asked the cage manager to stay on the phone as she drove to Indiana where they met at a gas station to exchange the funds. Her actions had already drawn suspicion at the casino and an employee contacted security to report that the cage manager left the building with a bag of cash.
After the money was handed off, police stopped the cage manager at the gas station and questioned her about the money. The manager told police about the call and gave a detailed account of what the caller requested her to do. She was later arrested and charged with embezzlement.
Investigators continued to track down the individuals who placed the call, the texts, and picked up the money. The phone call originated from a Cancun phone number. A license plate search revealed that the vehicle was registered to a woman in Chicago, Illinois.
In February of 2024, federal agents and Pokagon Tribal Police executed a search warrant at a residence of the Chicago woman who owned the getaway car. Detectives questioned the woman and learned that she was separated from her husband but revealed that he seemed to have a lot of money lately and detailed large purchases he recently made.
It seemed that law enforcement finally had a suspect, a man named Jesus Gaytan-Garcia. The suspect is not a legal resident of the United States and began sending money to Jalisco, Mexico shortly after the heist.
Investigators confirmed who their suspect is, but his whereabouts where unknown at the time. After a search warrant was executed at his estranged wife’s home, it would take another month to locate Gaytan-Garcia to arrest him.
One week ago, a federal jury found Gaytan-Garcia guilty of the casino heist. Sentencing is set for April.
The charge against the cage manager was later dropped, resulting in her clearing her name and getting her life back. Initially, investigators were unsure who was responsible or if the cage manager had any connection to the scammer. The presiding judge chose to implement a high bond amount of one million dollars for the cage manager while investigators pieced together the remaining details and located the suspect.
The cage manager is relieved to have this chapter behind her. The immigration crisis in the United States has left many victims of crime, from scams to acts of violence against United States residents. The desensitization of the facts surrounding illegal immigration create an atmosphere where it can be easy to forget why legal immigration is required for public safety. Individuals who are not legal residents create additional hurdles for law enforcement.
Many of the scams that are perpetrated by illegal immigrants do not get prosecuted due to significant road blocks created by the suspects and political causes that protect them. It is vital to ensure public safety for United States residents and individuals who would like to legally immigrate to the United States.