Federal prosecutors have sentenced five defendants to prison terms totaling more than 15 years for a conspiracy that stole over $800,000 from a casino and online gaming services company. The operation utilized stolen identities and counterfeit driver's licenses to carry out the fraud.
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Kansas, the defendants and their respective prison sentences are as follows:
- Jeremy Cushing, 53, of Topeka: 95 months
- Rachael Matoian, 36, of Topeka: 38 months
- Abraham Ruiz, 44, of Joplin, Missouri: 34 months
- Cassandra Williams, 39, of Spring Valley, California: 12 months
- Leroy Noll, 46, of Newton: 12 months
All five defendants previously pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Operating from July 2021 to March 2024, the scheme involved obtaining personal data to manufacture fake licenses, which were then used to make repeated fraudulent withdrawals at casinos across the United States.
Chris Ormerod, FBI Kansas City Special Agent in Charge, commented on the traditional nature of the fraud combined with modern gaming: “In a world where technology and advancement have made it easier for people to participate in gaming activities, traditional methods of fraud are still being used. This scheme used a method of fabricating official identity documents to commit wire fraud.”
The investigation into the case was conducted jointly by the FBI, the Prairie Band Potawatomi Tribal Police Department, and the Jackson County, Missouri Sheriff's Office.
