Casino Crime Roundup: Charge Dropped for $700K Embezzlement

Posted on: December 7, 2023, 08:29h. 

Last updated on: December 8, 2023, 06:20h.

Ed Silverstein @casinoorgedsilv Read More
Expertise: Legal, Tribal Gaming.

The embezzlement charge against a cash cage supervisor at Michigan’s Four Winds Hartford Casino was dropped by prosecutors this week.

Michigan’s Four Winds Hartford Casino
Michigan’s Four Winds Hartford Casino, pictured above. A charge against an employee was dropped by prosecutors. (Image: Four Winds)

The defendant, Danika Young, 38, was arrested for allegedly stealing $700K from the gaming property on July 30, according to Michigan TV station WOOD.  She faced up to 20 years in prison.

Young claimed she was telephoned and told to bring the money to a person in Gary, Ind. After getting the call, she counted out $700K, put it in a bag, and walked out of the casino, a police officer testified during a July 31 probable cause hearing.

It’s unclear why Van Buren County prosecutors dropped the charge.

Relief About Decision

“She is thrilled,” Caleb Grimes, a criminal defense attorney who represented Young, told WOOD. “Her family is thrilled. She feels extremely vindicated. Her position hasn’t wavered from the beginning that she didn’t do anything wrong.”

After talking with everybody, they were convinced that she didn’t do anything wrong and committed no criminal activity,” Grimes added.

Young worked at Four Winds for 16 years and has relatives in the area, including a child.

It’s possible a nefarious scheme targeted Young and used artificial intelligence (AI) to suggest the call came from casino executives inside the casino, WOOD reported.

Four Winds Hartford Casino is located in Hartford, Mich, about 80 miles south of Grand Rapids. The gaming property is one of four owned and operated by the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians.

Naked Casino Visitor Enters Plea

A man who entered Oklahoma’s First Council Casino without clothes pleaded guilty to a charge in court on Wednesday. Norman Rhodes entered the plea to a count of outraging public decency, according to Oklahoma TV station KOKH.

Rhodes also jumped on top of a security desk at the casino hotel during the incident, according to police.

Rhodes won’t be spending any time in jail if he completes his probation. A judge gave him a one-year suspended sentence, and he will be under supervision for the same 12 months. Rhodes must also undergo a mental health evaluation, complete 60 hours of community service, and pay court costs, KOKH reported.

Arrest Report

When officers arrived, Rhodes was on a couch in the casino hotel’s lobby. He was wearing a ripped shirt and had on a towel, the Kay NewsCow, a local online news outlet, reported. He told police he had been not wearing clothes because he was hot, according to KOKH. Rhodes was also coloring pages in a coloring book given to him by the hotel staff, police revealed.

When officers searched the property, they found four pairs of sweats belonging to Rhodes. A fifth pair was located in a microwave oven.

EMTs examined Rhodes at the scene and discovered that he’d taken a medication or drug which may have impacted his behavior, KOKH reported.