An elderly couple was stalked to their Chicago-area home and robbed at gunpoint after winning $130,000 at a casino, but the suspects did not realize that the bag they stole only contained leftover meals, not cash.
Three suspects, including 27-year-old Marcel L. Britton, are accused of preying upon the older couple after noticing them go on an “extremely large winning streak” at the Rivers Casino in Des Plaines on February 10, the Lake & McHenry County Scanner reported.
According to Lake County Assistant State’s Attorney Michael Theis, Britton and another man followed the couple, who are in their 70s, back to their Fox Lake home and pointed guns in their faces.
They allegedly grabbed a bag from the husband’s hands and pushed him to the ground, but, “unfortunately for the defendants,” Theis said the wife had already put their winnings in her walker.
“The defendants made off with her leftover steak and lobster as opposed to the $130,000,” the prosecutor said.
The suspects allegedly fled the scene before noticing that they did not succeed in getting the six-figure sum, and the victims retreated into the lobby of their building where they were helped by a neighbor who witnessed the ordeal.
Investigators later reviewed surveillance footage from the casino, which revealed that the two men allegedly spoke with a female accomplice who helped them target their victims.
The female suspect “was seen speaking to the elderly victims throughout the night,” and one of the male suspects was observed “pointing at the elderly couple while smiling and rubbing his hands together,” the local outlet reported.
Despite being escorted to their vehicle by casino security personnel, prosecutors said the male suspects were able to tail them back to their building.
Britton, who is the only suspect to have been arrested so far, is arguing that he does not match the description of any of the parties involved. His defense attorneys also said that their client already has a significant amount of money from winning a legal settlement, according to the Lake & McHenry County Scanner.
Lake County Judge Theodore Potkonjak granted a petition filed to detain Britton pending trial after the court found the suspect to be “inherently dangerous.”
Referring to the elderly couple thinking to stash their money in a walker, Potkonjak said, “I guess, in their own way, [they] outsmarted the bad guys.
The Scanner noted that the other suspects — one man and one woman — have been identified but have not been taken into custody.
