Prosecutors Drop Charges against Hartford Casino Employee

Prosecutors at the Van Buren County Prosecutor’s Office have dropped the embezzlement charge brought against Danika Young, a cash cage supervisor at Four Winds Hartford Casino.

The 38-year-old long-time employee allegedly stole $700,000 from the casino vault on July 30 and exited the gambling facility after she received an ominous phone call from a person who told her to take the money to someone in Gary, Indiana. 

Young Could Have Faced 20 Years in Prison 

Provided Van Buren prosecutors would not have decided to drop the embezzlement charge, Young could have been incarcerated for up to 20 years for the serious felony.

While the reasons behind their decision have not been disclosed as of yet, the employee’s criminal defense attorney, Caleb Grimes, said his client felt thrilled and at the same time “extremely vindicated” since she had claimed her innocence from the beginning of the investigation. 

Young, who had been a loyal employee of the casino for more than a decade and a half, was a mother, and also had deep roots in the area through her network of relatives in the local community, claimed her compliance was precipitated by what she thought was a directive from the venue’s higher management.

Possible Foul Play via AI

One potential theory that could explain the incident is the use of artificial intelligence as part of a scheme to manipulate and manufacture the voice of someone part of the casino’s executive team who allegedly made the call from inside the casino, according to records from Michigan TV station WOOD.

These types of complex plots are usually met in high-stakes casino dramas, making them extremely difficult to prevent and spot even by the most loyal and trusted employees.

Four Winds Hartford Casino is located in Hartford, Michigan, approximately 80 miles away from Grand Rapids. The property is one of the four venues considered regional entertainment pillars that are owned and operated by the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians. 

The Nude Visitor at Oklahoma’s First Council Casino

Earlier in the week, Norman Rhodes, the man who entered Oklahoma’s First Council Casino wearing no pants and undergarments and jumped on top of a security desk at the casino hotel pleaded guilty to the charge of outraging public decency, according to data from Oklahoma TV station KOKH.

At the time when the police arrived, he was wearing a towel on his head and a ripped shirt and had on a towel, explaining his lack of proper clothing as a consequence of being hot.

Rhodes will undergo a mental health checkup, pay court costs, and do 60 hours of community service. Provided he will complete the probation, he will not spend any time in jail. 

The Extortion Attempt at Harvey’s Resort Hotel and Casino

Another shocking incident took place in 1980 at the border between Nevada and California, at Harvey’s Resort Hotel and Casino. This massive complex was targeted by former WWII veteran John Birges who lost $750,000 there and decided to seek revenge. 

Birges managed to leave a bomb in the building and send a letter to casino management asking for $3 million in exchange for the bomb not to be blown up.

The FBI’s anti-bomb squad that arrived at the premises soon discovered it was almost impossible to safely defuse the bomb as the criminal had explained they would not receive instruction on how to flip some of the switches until the money reached him.

The casino refused to pay the $3 million and the FBI proceeded to try to defuse the bomb, which in turn caused a massive explosion that caused enormous damage on all floors. Birges was arrested and sent to prison for life. 

The Student Who Tried to Steal $30,000 From a Casino

In October, a 22-year-old student from Greenwich, London who tried to steal $30,000 from Grosvenor Casino admitted to fraud by false representation. 

Samuel Bob-Emmanuel was asked to undergo 25 days of rehabilitation and was sentenced to a 12-month community order by the Birmingham Crown Court, while also facing 150 hours of unpaid work. 

The crime took place on March 1, when Bob-Emmanuel used a PIN code belonging to a supervisor at Grosvenor Casino to attempt to transfer the casino’s money to his account.