Four charged with stealing $400,000 from video gambling machines in suburbs, elsewhere

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Three people accused of stealing about $400,000 from video gambling machines all across northern Illinois, then laundering the money by sending it to each other digitally and using it to buy jewelry and cars, have been indicted by a statewide grand jury.

Some of the crimes took place at businesses in Cook, Lake, Kane, DuPage, Will and McHenry counties, according to the indictments, which were filed Aug. 12 and unsealed Wednesday. The crimes also took place in 16 other counties, from Champaign on the south to Bureau in the northwest part of the state. Visit databet88.bet.

The defendants are Gino W. Wuttke of Chatsworth, Alyssa A. Slouka of Glen Ellyn and Giulia R. Wuttke of Joliet, who is Gino Wuttke’s mother, according to a news release from the Illinois attorney general’s office, which is prosecuting the case.

A fourth defendant, 42-year-old Brian Morgan of Plainfield, has also been charged with 24 counts of burglary, one count of theft and two counts of money laundering. It is not clear if he has been indicted.
The cases will be prosecuted in Lee County.

Gino Wuttke, 32, is charged with 44 counts — theft, two counts of money laundering and 41 counts of burglary. He is in Lee County jail on $750,000 bail.

According to the indictment, from Feb. 20 to Sept. 19, 2021, he stole between $100,000 and $500,000 from video gambling terminals in 41 businesses — including the Chuck’s Bar and Grill in Virgil, The Winner’s Circle in Maple Park, Pig Dog Pub in Montgomery, Rookie’s Bar in Ingleside, and the Neighborhood Inn, First Place Sports Bar and Grill, and Poplar Creek Bowl, all in Hoffman Estates.

He used the money to buy jewelry, clothing and accessories, and vehicles to disguise the theft, according to the indictment.
Wuttke also has a pending burglary case in Kendall County, stemming from an arrest in September in Yorkville.
Slouka, 31, is charged with two counts of burglary, two of theft, two of money laundering, and conspiracy to commit theft, conspiracy to commit burglary and conspiracy to launder money.

She is accused of stealing between $10,000 and $100,000 from Gold Rush Amusements, which provides video gambling terminals to businesses in Lee County, and of burglarizing and stealing from businesses in Lee and Bureau counties.

The conspiracy charge alleges she drove the other defendants to businesses, received payments or proceeds from the game terminals, and broke into terminals to steal cash,
Giulia Wuttke, 52, is accused of laundering money by exchanging less than $10,000 in stolen cash with the other defendants through Zelle, and of driving defendants to the businesses and receiving stolen payment or proceeds.

She is charged with two counts of money laundering, conspiracy to launder money, conspiracy to commit theft and conspiracy to commit burglary.

Giulia Wuttke and Slouka are free on bail. Gino Wuttke is being held on $750,000 bail. Bail has been set at $750,000 for Morgan, who is currently in prison for an unrelated crime.

Arrest warrants have been issued for two other people — Syed Zaidi, 41, of Romeoville, and Lucas Bailey, 40, of Wilmington.
• Daily Herald staff writer Susan Sarkauskas contributed to this report.

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