Summary:
- Jesus Gaytan-Garcia has been charged with tricking a casino employee for the money.
- The casino is owned and operated by the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians.
- The incident took place in July.
It’s been a few months since an elaborate heist occurred at the Four Winds Casino in Hartland, Michigan, and police now think they have arrested the culprit.
In a press release this week, the United States Attorney’s Office of Mark Totten reported that Jesus Gaytan-Garcia, age 43, was arrested on charges of tricking an employee of the casino for $700,000.
The Robbery Goes According to Plan
Back in July, the casino received a call from an individual claiming to be a tribal chairperson. The casino is owned and operated by the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians. The individual said they needed to make a payment urgently and asked the casino supervisor to remove $700,000 in cash from the casino.
The money was to be taken to a gas station in Gary, Indiana, and handed to two people. This alone seems to be a red flag, and the employee should have spotted something suspicious, but they did not. Instead, the employee packed up the money and headed out to deliver it.
The money was delivered and the employee was initially charged with theft. However, it was later discovered that the person genuinely thought they were doing the right thing. The FBI, along with the Pokagon Tribal Police, investigated the matter for several months before making this recent arrest. Gayton-Garcia is believed to be one of the individuals who received the payment at the gas station.
A Search Reveals Cash
Investigators in the case searched Gaytan-Garcia’s home and found cash bundles that were labeled Hartford, which was the location of the casino. The date on the money was the same as the day of the theft.
The suspect is from Mexico and is in the United States illegally, according to the complaint. He reportedly called the casino on July 30 from an area code in Cancun. According to the US Attorney Totten, telephone scams at casinos are on the rise and they are impacting commercial and tribal venues.
The Pokagon Tribal Police and FBI worked together to find one of the individuals involved in the attack. Police are expected to be able to locate the other individual either through the investigation or with help from Gayton-Garcia.
More information on the case should go public in the near future. It will be interesting to see if a second arrest is made and if Gayton-Garcia might give more details for some plea agreement or lesser charge.
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