Gambling Machine Robbers From Joliet, Wilmington Get Sentenced
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JOLIET, IL — Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul announced Monday that a Joliet man and his friend from Wilmington both pleaded guilty and were sentenced to prison for burglarizing businesses and stealing cash from video poker machines.
According to the press release, their plea is part of an ongoing burglary case that Raoul announced in 2022 following a joint investigation with the Illinois Gaming Board, the Illinois State Police and several local law enforcement agencies.
Gino Wuttke, 33, of Joliet, was sentenced to eight years in prison in Lee County Circuit Court after pleading guilty to one count of felony theft and felony burglary. In April, co-defendant Brian Morgan, 42, of Plainfield, was sentenced to eight years in prison for his role in the burglary ring.
Lucas Bailey, 41, of Wilmington, was sentenced to three years in prison in Lake County Circuit Court after pleading guilty to one count of felony burglary. Bailey is already in prison, serving a separate sentence in connection to unrelated charges.
“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 announced in Monday's press release. “This case is the result of countless hours of collaboration between my office and several law enforcement agencies. I would like to thank these agencies for their hard work investigating this burglary ring and assisting in holding the members responsible accountable.”
In August, the Attorney General’s office filed charges against a total of six people, including Wuttke and Bailey, alleging they broke into businesses around Illinois and robbed video gaming machines, stealing approximately $400,000.
“As today’s two guilty pleas further demonstrate, the Illinois Gaming Board, Illinois Attorney General’s office, Illinois State Police and other law enforcement agencies statewide worked together to successfully bring to justice those involved in this video gaming burglary ring,” said Illinois Gaming Board Administrator Marcus Fruchter.
The Attorney General’s Office said it received support from the Illinois Gaming Board and several law enforcement agencies, including the ISP, the DuPage County State’s Attorney’s office, the Lake County State’s Attorney’s office, the Joliet Police Department and the Bureau, DeKalb, Grundy, Iroquois, Kendall and LaSalle county sheriffs.
