Northern Quest Casino Moccasin Theft Mystery Sees 11th Hour Guilty Plea

Posted on: March 13, 2025, 07:42h. 

Last updated on: March 14, 2025, 09:12h.

Philip Conneller @casinoorgphilc Read More
Expertise: Gaming Business, Regulation, Tribal Gaming.
  • Thief Kevin Wissman admitted stealing moccasins from Northern Quest Casino
  • FBI and Kalispel Tribe still seeking the missing cultural artifacts
  • Wissman, with a lengthy criminal past, faces sentencing on June 12

The mysterious disappearance of antique Kalispel tribal artifacts from the Northern Quest Resort & Casino in Airway Heights, Wash., four years ago has been partially solved. That’s after Kevin William Wissman, 61, dramatically changed his plea to guilty during a federal court hearing in Spokane, Wash., on Wednesday.

Kalispel Tribe, Northern Quest Casino, Kevin Wissman
Kevin Wissman, above, pleaded guilty to stealing Kalispel tribal artifacts from the Northern Quest Casino but hasn’t revealed what he did with them. (Image: Washington State Department of Corrections/Casino.org)

“I did take them. I took them from the casino,” Wissman told Judge Thomas Rice, as reported by The Spokane Review.

However, the cultural artifacts — five baby moccasins and a leather glove, embroidered with colorful beads — remain missing. The Kalispel Tribe of Indians continues to offer a $25K reward for information that leads to the return of the items.

To the Kalispel Tribe, these are not just decorative items in a display case, but rather priceless and irreplaceable pieces of the Kalispel’s history,” said W. Mike Herrington, special agent in charge of the FBI Seattle field office.

“Together with our tribal and federal partners, FBI Seattle will not accept the theft of cultural items and will work to reinforce the consequences of these actions to deter other would-be thieves.”

Security Footage Showed Theft

The heirlooms, made in the 1940s, were displayed in a shadow box in the casino’s Heritage Hall.

The FBI identified Wissman from security footage that showed a man arrive at the casino parking garage as a passenger in a Nissan Titan pickup truck at around 12.30 a.m. on Oct. 30, 2020. The man believed to be Wissman walked through Heritage Hall, stopped at the display case, and broke the lock, before removing the items.

Wissman, from Yakima, around 200 miles southwest of the casino, has a long criminal history that includes convictions for burglary, theft of a firearm, forgery, possession of stolen property, and kidnapping.

He was indicted with a misdemeanor charge — theft from an Indian tribal organization — by a federal grand jury in October 2023, but his whereabouts were unknown at the time.

Wissman was finally arrested during a traffic stop near Yakima in January 2025.

Northern Quest Casino Reacts

“We’re grateful to the Kalispel Tribal Police Department and the FBI for tracking down the person responsible for the theft of these cherished family heirlooms,” said Nick Pierre, general manager of Northern Quest casino.

While we hope justice will be served, it doesn’t make up for the fact that the items have still not been recovered,” he added.

Pierre encouraged anyone with information to contact the Kalispel Tribal Police Department at 509-481-4444.

Wissman is currently in the Spokane County jail on a US Marshal’s hold. He will be sentenced on June 12.