Illinois Attorney General charges 5 men with statewide video gaming theft

Five men have been charged with participating in a video gaming theft ring that stole more than $100,000 across numerous counties, including Will, DuPage, Kane and Kendall.

Attorneys with Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul’s Office will handle the prosecution of the men after they were accused of collaborating to steal more than $100,000 from video gaming machines in Cook County, the collar counties and central Illinois.

The thefts occurred between January and November 2023, according to Raoul’s office.

“The thefts allegedly committed by this burglary ring impacted dozens of businesses and counties, targeting gas stations, bars and small video gaming machine parlors,” Raoul said in a statement.

The five men charged include:

• Don Wiley, 53, of University Park.

• John Friedrich, 35, of Streator.

• Joseph Montoro, 39, of Berwyn.

• Sebastian Perez, 41, of Chicago.

• Jacob Sickel, 20, of Brookfield.

Friedrich and Montoro have been charged with theft, money laundering and burglary. Perez, Sickel and Wiley have been charged with theft, burglary and attempted burglary.

The five men stand accused of committing “an alleged string of 22 burglaries” in Cook, Will, DuPage, Kane, Kendall, Champaign, Lake, Tazewell, DeWitt, Peoria, Kankakee and McLean counties, according to Raoul’s office.

While four of the suspects are awaiting their first court appearance in DuPage County, Raoul’s office is asking the public to inform law enforcement of Friedrich’s whereabouts.

The investigation and prosecution of the burglary ring was based on a referral from the Illinois Gaming Board, according to Raoul’s office.

“[The Illinois Gaming Board] was pleased to partner with the Illinois Attorney General’s Office and other local law enforcement agencies in dismantling this video gaming burglary ring and bringing these criminals to justice,” Marcus Fruchter, administrator of the gaming board, said in a statement.

Raoul’s office worked with dozens of law enforcement agencies “in the 22 impacted counties throughout the course of the complex investigation.”

The Illinois Statewide Grand Jury Act gives Raoul’s office the power to prosecute “multi-county cases involving drugs, money laundering, guns or electronics.”

Raoul’s office has a statewide grand jury bureau that works with “state and federal counterparts” on “complex, often large-scale, organized criminal activity.”