$100,000 casino heist used prosthetic face masks and ‘how-to’ books, officials say

TJ Macias
·2 min read

A Michigan man posed as an elderly gambler with a prosthetic face mask, a series of hats, surgical gloves, a mobile walker, and even “how to get away with crimes” books to pull off a nearly $100,000 casino heist, officials say.

No, it’s not a new plot line for yet another “Ocean’s 11” sequel.

In 2019, John Christopher Colletti nabbed up to 10 people’s identities and created fake driver’s licenses in order to steal $98,840 from people at the MGM Grand Detroit from April-May, the FBI affidavit uploaded by WXYZ-TV read.

Colletti had a total of 83 driver’s licenses, 14 insurance cards in different names, six open water diver certification cards, two Binghampton University staff ID cards, 19 players’ cards from different casinos, and one Social Security card with the alias Michael Harris, which were inside the suspect’s rental car, court documents said as reported by WXYZ.

Also inside the car? Books on how to get away with crimes.

“The driver’s licenses also had sticky notes stuck to the back of the cards containing the victims’ Social Security number and telephone number, which were needed to complete the (casino) transactions,” the FBI said, according to the affidavit.

Colletti’s counterfeit licenses.
Colletti’s counterfeit licenses.

He used VIP programs that offer cash advances from kiosks to gamblers, officials said. Kiosks inside the casinos are monitored by closed-circuit television cameras, which is why Colletti is thought to have used elaborate disguises in an attempt to mask his identity.

Colletti was arrested on a charge of identity theft by Prairie Band Potawatomi Tribal Police at the Prairie Band Casino and Resort in Mayetta, Kansas, on March 12, officials said. Security approached Colletti who, at the time, was dressed as an elderly man in a straw hat and using a walker, the FBI document said.

Colletti tried to escape by hiding in the bathroom and slipping out of the casino after abandoning his disguise and $11,000 in the bathroom, officials said.

The suspect was later arrested in Mayetta, Kansas. He was found with two more counterfeit Michigan licenses, $16,000 cash, glasses and a casino voucher, the affidavit read.

He was accused of wire fraud, fraud and related activity in connection with access devices, and aggravated identity theft, the FBI document filed last week said.