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Four individuals were arrested by police for their involvement in the theft of $400,000 from gaming machines in multiple Illinois counties. Among those arrested were a mother and her son.
Giulia Wuttke, 52, and her son, Gino Wuttke, 33, were arrested and charged with multiple felonies by Illinois attorney general Kwame Raoul. The charges are in connection to crimes committed across northern Illinois. This marks Gino Wuttke’s second arrest this year.
Alyssa Slouka, 31, was arrested by police, while Brian Morgan, 42, was already incarcerated for unrelated charges.
Syed Zaidi, 41, and Lucas Bailey, 40, are wanted on two additional warrants for their suspected participation in the thefts.
Burglary ring targets machines in bars, social clubs
The group was not specifically going after gaming machines in casinos in Illinois. Instead, they were focused on machines in bars, restaurants, social clubs, and other small businesses.
Reportedly, the crimes occurred throughout various counties in Illinois including Bureau, Carroll, Champaign, Cook, DeKalb, Grundy, Iroquois, Kankakee, Jo Daviess, and Kendall. Additionally, Lee, LaSalle, Kane, Mason, McHenry, McLean, Ogle, Stephenson, Vermillion, and Will counties were also affected.
As stated in Raoul’s press release, this is the method by which the group executed their illegal activities.
The burglary ring is accused of focusing on bars, restaurants, social clubs, and other small businesses with video poker and gaming machines. They reportedly broke into numerous establishments across multiple counties, making off with hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash from the machines. The arrests were made possible through extensive collaboration between my office and various law enforcement agencies. I want to express my gratitude to the agencies that worked alongside my office in this investigation, ultimately leading to the dismantling of this burglary operation.
A complete breakdown of the charges:
- Gino Wuttke is facing a total of 41 charges of burglary, one charge of theft, and two charges of money laundering, which include class 1 and 2 felonies. If convicted, the younger Wuttke could be sentenced to up to 30 years in prison, with all sentences to be served at the same time.
- Giulia Wuttke is facing charges of conspiracy to commit burglary, conspiracy to commit theft, money laundering, and conspiracy to commit money laundering. These charges consist of class 2 and 3 felonies and could result in a maximum sentence of 14 years in prison for Wuttke.
- Slouka is facing a total of seven charges including burglary, theft, money laundering, and conspiracy to commit theft, burglary, and money laundering. The charges range from class 2 to class 4 felonies, with a potential sentence of up to 14 years in prison.
- Morgan is facing charges for 24 burglaries, one theft, and two counts of money laundering, which include class 1 and 2 felonies. If convicted, Morgan could potentially be sentenced to up to 30 years in prison.
All four individuals are scheduled to appear in court sometime between early to mid-September.
The most recent suspected criminal activity in Illinois gambling involves a lawsuit filed by the spouse of a recent stabbing victim against Caesars.
Who handles gambling crime in Illinois?
Illinois gaming regulation groups provide assistance to local police departments in cases involving gambling-related crimes. The Illinois Gaming Board is responsible for investigating crimes related to gaming.
ISP director Brendan F. Kelly stated that the Illinois State Police Division of Criminal Investigation provided assistance to IGB in this instance.
