A scam artist used prosthetic masks and other costumes to pose as an elderly player and steal more than $ 100,000 from people at various Michigan casinos, the FBI said Thursday.
The charges against the suspect, identified as John Christopher Colletti, 55, were contained in a 17-page criminal complaint and an unsealed affidavit issued by a federal court in Detroit, The Detroit News reported.
The case was revealed after Colletti was found and arrested in Kansas. He was detained in Michigan without bond.
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Starting in May 2019, Colletti developed a scheme to purchase people’s identities online and create fake driver’s licenses, said FBI Special Agent Julia MacBeth.
Colletti has since stolen the identities of casino customers who were part of a VIP program that allows cash advances from kiosks located inside casinos, The Detroit News reported.
The kiosks are under camera surveillance, prompting Colletti’s disguise.
The suspect was able to steal $ 98,840 from sponsors at the MGM Grand Detroit, from April to May 2019, while wearing a full prosthetic mask, goggles, surgical masks, and hats, according to reports detailed by MacBeth in the affidavit.
The suspect was caught on camera wearing a prosthetic mask, blue jacket, dark cap, blue jeans, and sunglasses at the MGM Grand on May 23, 2019, where he withdrew $ 30,000 during 15 different transactions over a 30-minute period.
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Investigators reviewed images from casino cameras and found that Colletti used forged driver’s licenses every time he checked out the casino, according to the local media outlet.
“Colletti would then look at a piece of paper, which likely contains the last four digits of the customer’s social security number and the last four digits of the customer’s phone number, which were necessary to complete the transactions,” MacBeth said in the statement. sworn.
Colletti was arrested on March 12 by the Prairie Band Potawatomi Tribal Police at the Prairie Band Casino and Resort in Mayetta, Kan.
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A receipt also led investigators to a shortage unit containing 48 counterfeit driver’s licenses, mannequin heads used to hold prosthetic masks, and hundreds of receipts for the MGM Grand casino.
