Casinos continue to prove attractive to criminals looking for some quick cash. After news of some major casino thefts emerged in recent weeks, a man has been charged with an armed robbery of an Illinois casino, stealing more than $14,000 in casino chips on Halloween.
illinois gaming boardIGB) Ismail Ahmed Attiyat, of Chicago Ridge, allegedly wore a back ski mask and entered the Rivers Casino in Des Plaines. Using a gun, he demanded money from staff before running away with the chips.
Serious charges in the future
The suspect may not have relied on escaping with high-tech chips. Gaming Board officers were able to trace the chips to Attiyat’s home and recover them along with the mask allegedly used during the crime.
Attiyat now faces three counts of armed robbery and is being held without bail. His next court appearance is scheduled for November 30.
“Due to the quick and diligent work of our gaming agents and local law enforcement partners, we were able to apprehend this individual and recover the stolen casino chips.” IGB said official Markus de Fruchter. “I am grateful to our gaming agents, Illinois State Police, Chicago Ridge Police, and the staff at Rivers Casino.”
the IGB It serves not only as a state regulatory body, but also as a law enforcement agency responsible for overseeing the state’s 15 casinos, 11 sports bureaus, and more than 8,400 video gaming establishments.
Just try to rob the latest casino
Casinos are frequent targets of criminals and several cases have made the news recently. In October, former Las Vegas police officer Caleb Rogers was sentenced to 12 years in federal prison for armed robberies at the Red Rock, Aliante and Rio casinos in 2022-2023.
In September, Eric Gutierrez Martinez was found guilty of swindling more than $1 million out of the Circa Hotel and Casino in downtown Las Vegas after impersonating the owner. He is also believed to have conducted similar scams at other Nevada casinos as well – Eureka Casino in Mesquite and Golden Nugget in Laughlin as well.
Poker players have been frequent targets of robberies as well. In 2016, a con man mistakenly robbed Doyle Brunson’s neighbor thinking he was at the poker legend’s house.
Antonio Esfandiari was robbed of $1 million in cash, chips, jewelry and other valuables in 2020. In 2016, Darren Elias also fell victim when an armed man broke into his home and held a 19-year-old babysitter at gunpoint during a search. For valuables.
