Jesus Gaytan-Garcia Arrested for $700,000 Tribal Casino Scam
Hartford Tribal Casino Scam Leads to Major Arrest
A significant theft of $700,000 from the Four Winds Casino in Hartford has resulted in the arrest of Jesus Gaytan-Garcia, 43, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office on March 6. The alleged scam involved deceiving a casino employee into believing that an urgent payment was needed.
On July 30, a call was received at the casino from someone impersonating the tribal chairperson, claiming an immediate need for funds. This fraudulent request led a casino supervisor to gather $700,000 in cash and transport it to a gas station in Gary, Indiana, where it was handed over to two unidentified individuals.
Initially, the casino employee involved faced theft charges; however, those charges were later dismissed. The FBI and the Pokagon Tribal Police launched a lengthy investigation, ultimately identifying Gaytan-Garcia as a suspect seen at the gas station during the cash exchange.
When authorities searched Gaytan-Garcia’s residence, they discovered a bundle of cash labeled “Hartford,” indicating its source, along with the date of the theft. Gaytan-Garcia, who is in the U.S. illegally from Mexico, had made the scam call from a Cancun area code.
U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan, Mark Totten, noted the increasing prevalence of telephone scams targeting both tribal and commercial casinos across the nation. He praised the collaborative efforts of the Pokagon Tribal Police and the FBI, which led to the successful identification and arrest of one of the culprits behind the Hartford Four Winds Casino scam.