By BRENT MARTIN
St. Joseph Post
A young Michigan man has been arrested in Kansas, accused of trying to steal $100,000 from the Prairie Band Casino and Resort in Mayetta.
Prairie Band Potawatomi Tribal Police arrested 35-year-old John Christopher Colletti of Harper Woods, MI in March.
The Detroit News reports a 17-page criminal complaint against Colletti was unsealed Thursday in federal court in Detroit.
FBI agents claim Colletti used a prosthetic face mask to pose as an elderly gambler wearing a straw hat and glasses while using a walker at the northeast Kansas casino. Colletti, according to federal prosecutors, withdrew $20,000 at a time from casino kiosks.
Federal authorities suspected Colletti of stealing up to ten identities in April and May of last year by buying personal data online to make fake driver’s licenses. Colletti had more than 50 fake ID’s, according to prosecutors.
Federal prosecutors claim Colletti has hit gambling houses before.
Colletti also faces accusations he used a VIP program offering gamblers cash advances at the MGM Grand Detroit where he allegedly defrauded several victims of nearly $100,000. Prosecutors claim he used elaborate disguises to avoid detection by casino security cameras.
Security at Prairie Band Casino became suspicious when Colletti withdrew so much cash.