{"id":325149,"date":"2024-07-13T03:00:01","date_gmt":"2024-07-13T08:00:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/?p=325149"},"modified":"2024-07-13T03:01:40","modified_gmt":"2024-07-13T08:01:40","slug":"california-casino-guard-tries-to-board-plane-to-philippines-after-allegedly-stealing-31k-from-card-room","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/california-casino-guard-tries-to-board-plane-to-philippines-after-allegedly-stealing-31k-from-card-room\/","title":{"rendered":"California Casino Guard Tries to Fly to Philippines After Allegedly Stealing $31K from Card Room"},"content":{"rendered":"

A one-time security guard at Artichoke Joe\u2019s Casino<\/a> in San Bruno, Calif. recently attempted to flee from the United States to the Philippines<\/a>. He had been arrested for swiping $31K from the card room, authorities said.<\/p>\n

\"Artichoke
Artichoke Joe’s Casino, pictured above. A security guard stole $31K from the California card room and then tried to flee to the Philippines, police said. (Image: Flickr)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

John Villareal, 29, stole the cash on July 5. He was booked and then a judge released him on his own recognizance, according to the San Francisco Standard<\/em> news outlet.<\/p>\n

That means the unnamed judge refused to set bail<\/a> in the case. Villareal was released from custody on Monday.<\/p>\n

Just as he was trying to get onto the plane earlier this week, officers from the San Bruno Police Department apprehended him at the San Francisco International Airport. A search revealed he was carrying about $10K in cash at the airport.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Prosecutor Furious at Judge<\/h2>\n

Later this week, San Mateo District Attorney Stephen Wagstaffe said he was angry at the judge for not setting bail in the case.<\/p>\n

\u201cHere\u2019s a guy who said, \u2018I just stole $31,000, I\u2019ve still got $10,000 of it, and I\u2019m going to the Philippines never to return,’\u201d Wagstaffe said in an interview with the Standard<\/em>.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s charged with three felonies, and we [release] him? That wouldn\u2019t have happened a few years ago and that\u2019s the new modern world, and that\u2019s what happened. So, he\u2019s out of custody on his own recognizance. No bail required.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Nationally, law enforcement and prosecutors have complained judges too often release criminal defendants without setting bail.<\/p>\n

Villareal\u2019s incident began when he got a key to a lockbox from another card room employee. Inside was $31K.<\/p>\n

He then took the box to a restroom and put the money into a duffle bag, police said.<\/p>\n

He tossed the lockbox in a garbage can. He then gave the key back to the employee.<\/p>\n

When employees discovered the cash was never taken to the cashier, they viewed card room surveillance cameras.<\/p>\n

They saw Villareal allegedly steal the cash. A short time later, he was arrested by local police.<\/p>\n

Villareal was then booked on employee embezzlement<\/a>, grand theft, and second-degree burglary charges.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The 51-table card room is located just west of San Francisco International Airport<\/p>\n

Some Cash Used to Pay Bills<\/h2>\n

As police investigated, officers said they found out that Villareal spent about $4K of the cash to pay his bills.<\/p>\n

Another $16K was given to Villareal\u2019s cousin. That person used $3K to pay bills. The remaining $13K is unaccounted for. The cousin wasn\u2019t arrested.<\/strong><\/p>\n

In 2021, Artichoke Joe\u2019s Casino paid a record $5.3M<\/a> for a violation of the Bank Secrecy Act.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A one-time security guard at Artichoke Joe\u2019s Casino in San Bruno, Calif. recently attempted to flee from the United States to the Philippines. He had been arrested for swiping $31K from the gaming property, authorities said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":44,"featured_media":325156,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21,60],"tags":[91673,81905,13766,84968,81928],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nCalifornia Casino Guard Tries to Flee After Allegedly Stealing $31K<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A guard at Artichoke Joe\u2019s Casino recently attempted to flee to the Philippines. 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