(CNN) - A prosthetic mask, forged driver's licenses and personal information obtained on the Internet. This is how federal authorities say a Michigan man allegedly managed to steal more than $ 100,000 from casino customers in Michigan and Kansas.
John Colletti even went on to dress up as an elder to evade suspicion, according to federal prosecutors.
Colletti, 55, allegedly attacked his victims by illegally obtaining their personal information and then using forged driver's licenses to withdraw funds from their personal bank accounts through self-service kiosks in casinos, according to a federal criminal complaint revealed in a federal court in Michigan on Thursday.
The kiosks, operated by Global Payments Gaming Services, are used by the casino industry to break accounts, process jackpot, withdraw cash, cash advances and ticket exchanges, among other services, according to the complaint.
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Kiosks require users to insert their driver's license and the last four digits of both their Social Security number and their phone number before funds can be withdrawn from the checking account. Each victim had previously registered to link their bank accounts to their profile in Global Payments' "VIP Preferred Program", the complaint said.
“We initially identified this fraudulent activity and immediately alerted our clients and the police. Throughout the investigation, we provided support and cooperation that ultimately led to the capture of this suspect, ”Global Payments spokeswoman Emily Edmonds said in a statement to CNN.
Colletti faces charges of wire fraud, aggravated identity theft and fraud and related activities related to access devices, according to the complaint. Currently in the custody of federal agents in Kansas, she has a detention hearing scheduled for July 30, according to court documents filed in Kansas.
A spokesman for the US Attorney's Office in the Eastern District of Michigan declined to comment further, although he noted that they had requested that Colletti be transferred to face the charges in Michigan.
The attorney representing Colletti in pre-trial proceedings in Topeka, Kansas, declined to comment.
The investigation began when the security of the MGM Grand Casino identified at least 10 identity theft victims who lost a total of approximately $ 98,840 between April 26 and May 27, 2019, according to the complaint.
The incidents were reported to the Michigan State Police, which opened an investigation and identified a suspect based on surveillance video, the complaint said.
In each case, surveillance footage shows a person wearing a full prosthetic face mask to look like an elderly white man, according to the complaint.
The MGM Grand Detroit has so far been unable to be reached for comment.
A change of wardrobe and an unsuccessful escape
Almost a year later, the Prairie Band Potawatomi Tribal Police arrested Colletti on March 12 for identity theft at the Prairie Band Casino and Resort in Mayetta, Kansas, according to the complaint.
Casino employees had observed through surveillance video that an individual dressed as an old man "with a straw hat, glasses and a walker" was withdrawing about $ 20,000 from the kiosks, according to the complaint.
Casino security approached the man, later identified as Colletti, and asked for his social security number because he had withdrawn such a large amount of cash, according to the complaint. Colletti immediately went to the bathroom, where he removed his costume. Colletti left the casino with a noticeable lump on the front of his pants, which is believed to be the prosthetic mask, "said the complaint.
In the bathroom, police found clothing, a walker, a Nissan car key, two Michigan driver's licenses and about $ 11,000 in cash, according to the complaint.
On the back of the driver's licenses were sticky notes with the victims' social security number and phone number, which were necessary to complete the kiosk transactions, the indictment detailed.
Tribal police arrested Colletti and contacted the FBI, the complaint said.
Tribal police then searched Colleti's rental car and found four prosthetic masks, USB sticks, "books on how to get away with committing crimes," ID cards and various kiosk receipts, the indictment says. Police found the prosthetic mask the next day near the casino, according to the document.
Investigators eventually recovered 83 driver's licenses, 14 multi-named insurance cards, 19 player cards from various casinos, two Binghamton University staff ID cards and a Social Security card with an alias, authorities said.
When investigators examined the flash drives, they discovered “various people's background checks, tutorials, and manuals on how to fake money and commit other financial crimes, GPK videos within the MGM Grand Casino Detroit, handwritten signatures, and excel spreadsheets with more than thousand names ”, said the complaint.
The spreadsheets included each person's date of birth, Social Security numbers, bank routing and account numbers, and monthly salary, according to the complaint.
According to the FBI, Global Payment investigators noted the similarities between the Michigan identity theft investigation and the transactions at the tribal casino.
Tribal police contacted investigators in Michigan, who confirmed that Colletti's photo matched the unidentified subject in the MGM Grand Casino identity theft investigation, according to the indictment.
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