Man impersonating tribal chairperson steals $700K from casino
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The man scammed a casino in Hartford out of hundreds of thousands of dollars through a simple phone call, officials say.
HARTFORD, Mich. — A man was charged for scamming a West Michigan casino out of hundreds of thousands of dollars through a phone call, the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan says.
Jesus Gaytan-Garcia was charged in a criminal complaint with theft from the Four Winds Casino in Hartford on Wednesday. The casino is owned and operated by the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians.
Officials said Gayton-Garcia called the casino on July 30, falsely claiming that he was a tribal chairperson and needed funds to make an urgent payment.
A supervisory employee was duped by Gayton-Garcia's call. They gathered $700,000 in cash and walked out of the casino.
The employee brought the cash to a gas station in Gary, Indiana, and handed it off to two people they didn't know.
“The amount of money involved in this theft is extraordinary,” said U.S. Attorney Mark Totten. “Unfortunately, instances of telephone scams at casinos are on the rise across the country, impacting both tribal and commercial gaming operations. Thanks to the dedicated, joint investigation of Pokagon Tribal police and the FBI, we were able to identify and arrest one of the perpetrators of this scheme that targeted the Hartford Four Winds Casino.”
The FBI and Pokagon Tribal Police worked in tangent to solve the case. After a months-long investigation, they identified Gaytan-Garcia as one of the individuals at the gas station.
In a search of his home, investigators found a bundle of cash wrapped in a paper band stamped with the word "Hartford."
The exact date of the theft was also printed on it.
Gaytan-Garcia was arrested four days later.
“The arrest of Mr. Gaytan-Garcia demonstrates the effectiveness of collaboration between the Pokagon Tribal Police and the FBI,” said Pokagon Tribal Police Chief Mario RedLegs. “We greatly appreciate the support and assistance of U.S. Attorney Mark Totten and his staff to prosecute those that violate the law on Pokagon Band land.”
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