A mother and her son were among four people charged in an organized burglary ring that allegedly swiped approximately $400,000 from dozens of gaming machines in dozens of Illinois counties.
According to a press release from Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul, 52-year-old Giulia Wuttke of Chatsworth and her son Gino Wuttke were both arrested and charged with dozens of felonies in connection with the scheme, which impacted bars, restaurants and social clubs around the state.
“These arrests are the result of countless hours of cooperation between my office and several law enforcement agencies,” Raoul said in a statement. “I would like to thank the many agencies that cooperated with my office on this investigation and helped us break up this burglary operation.”
Agencies that participated in the investigation included the Illinois State Police, the State’s Attorney’s Offices in DuPage and Lake counties, and sheriff’s departments in DeKalb, Grundy, Kendall and LaSalle counties.
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According to the press release, the organized theft ring targeted small businesses across the state, with thieves breaking into gaming machines in the establishments.
Gino Wuttke is accused of robbing establishments in more than a dozen Illinois counties, including Cook, DeKalb, Kankakee and Will counties. He is facing 41 counts of burglary, a Class 2 felony, and two counts of money laundering, according to prosecutors.
Giulia Wuttke also allegedly robbed establishments in dozens of counties, and is accused of conspiracy to commit theft, two counts of money laundering and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering.
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Glen Ellyn resident Alyssa Slouka is facing nine different felony charges in connection to the case, and Brian Morgan of Plainfield is facing dozens of felony charges, including 24 counts of burglary.
Prosecutors are also seeking two other suspects in connection to the case, with felony warrants out for 40-year-old Lucas Bailey of Wilmington and 41-year-old Syed Zaidi of Romeoville.
“Members of this burglary ring allegedly targeted bars, restaurants, social clubs and other small businesses that have video poker and video gaming machines. They broke into dozens of these establishments in multiple counties and stole hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash out of the machines,” Raoul said.
