- Details
- By Tribal Business News Staff
- Gaming
A former employee will serve time in prison and pay restitution for stealing more than $100,000 from a tribally owned casino in western Michigan.
Jordan Lewis Cook, 26, of Hopkins, Michigan, was sentenced to serve four months in prison and two years of supervised release for theft from a tribal organization. He was also ordered to pay $84,564 in restitution.
Between September 2021 and November 2022, Cook stole more than $100,000 from the Gun Lake Casino, which is owned and operated by the Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Band of Pottawatomi Indians (Gun Lake Tribe).
Shortly after he was hired, Cook began stealing money from the cash-out kiosks located around the casino gaming floor, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan. An internal casino audit and security surveillance video footage showed Cook pocketing large amounts of cash when he was supposed to be clearing jammed cash-out machines.
Cook’s bank records also revealed a large influx of cash deposits around the same time that the money was being stolen from the casino kiosk machines.
This case was investigated by the Gun Lake Tribal Police Department and FBI, which work closely together to prevent, investigate, and refer for prosecution certain crimes that occur on tribal lands.
U.S. Attorney Mark Totten emphasized his office’s dedication to collaborating with tribal leadership and law enforcement in addressing criminal activities on tribal lands, specifically instances of theft from tribal businesses.
“Together we will hold criminals accountable for their wrongdoing,” Totten said in a statement.
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