A Chicago man who donned prosthetic “old man” facemasks piece bilking cassino customers come out of to a greater extent than $125,000 has pleaded shamed to wire humbug and identity hoax in a federal judicature inwards Detroit.
John St. Christopher Colletti, 56, wore a variety of latex and silicon masks piece withdrawing gamblers’ money from kiosks at casinos inwards Michigan and KS between Apr 26, 2019 and March 12, 2020.
According to prosecutors, Colletti used personal selective information bought from hackers online — names, driver’s license numbers, and the cobbler's last iv digits of Social Security Book of Numbers — to approach accounts belonging to VIP Preferred computer program customers at the kiosks.
VIP Preferred is an e-wallet for cashless wagering owned past fintech heavyweight Global Payments. It also allows customer to pull back their finances in hard currency at the Global Payments kiosks.
Master of Disguise
Colletti number 1 appeared on practice of law enforcement’s radiolocation inwards 2019, when the MGM Grand inward Motor City reported that tenner of its customers had been victims of individuality theft inward Apr and May of that twelvemonth alone.
Studying protection footage, investigators identified a surmise who was making the withdrawals at casinos around Detroit. He appeared to live wearing the prosthetic mask of an elderly man, with a variety of hats, glasses, or surgical masks.
On May 23, 2019, after withdrawing $30,000 from the MGM Grand, Colletti hailed a cabriolet to Greektown, where he turned upward on the protection cameras remote the Pegasus Taverna Restaurant on James Monroe Street.
There, he headed to the restroom, where he ditched the disguise. When he reappeared, investigators saw the suspect’s existent face for the foremost time.
‘Suspicious Bulge’
Next, Colletti turned up at the Prairie Band Casino inward the Prairie Band of Potawatomi Reservation in Kansas. After withdrawing $20,000, he was told to turn to the cage to spring his social security number for reporting purposes, since it was a large transaction.
Instead, Colletti went to the restroom to take away his disguise. He emerged shortly afterwards and headed to the get out with a noticeable protrusion — his mask — in the front end of his pants. Security found clothes, a walker, $11,000 inwards cash, and two faux driver’s licenses inwards restroom.
Colletti was arrested shortly afterwards.
Global Payments fictitious the red on behalf of Colletti’s victims. As piece of his plea deal, he has agreed to repay the replete(p) $125,740 to the company.
He testament follow sentenced on July 7 and faces up to 20 years inward prison.
“John Colletti stole the identities of dozens of innocuous people, dragging them all into his outlaw scheme,” said Timothy Waters, Special Agent inward Charge of the FBI’s Motown Field Office. “The impacts of identity operator theft are serious and far-reaching for victims, and the FBI testament process tough to ensure anyone who engages in this type of lead is held accountable.”
This news is curated to you by the original XE88 APK download in Malaysia.