Attorney General Kwame Raoul charged five Illinois men for their alleged participation in a burglary ring that spanned several Illinois counties, ranging from the Chicago area to Central Illinois.
Raoul’s office charged John Friedrich, 35, of Streator; Joseph Montoro, 39, of Berwyn; Sebastian Perez, 41, of Chicago; Jacob Sickel, 20, of Brookfield; and Don Wiley, 53, of University Park, with multiple felonies for an alleged string of 22 burglaries in Cook, DuPage, Kane, Kendall, Champaign, Lake, Tazewell, DeWitt, Peoria, Kankakee, McLean and Will counties.
“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. “These arrests are the result of countless hours of investigative work and close collaborations between my office and several law enforcement agencies. I would like to thank the Illinois Gaming Board and the agencies that participated in this complex investigation. I look forward to continuing similar partnerships that help us hold criminals accountable across jurisdictions.”
The Attorney General’s investigation and prosecution of the burglary ring is based on a referral from the Illinois Gaming Board (IGB).
“The IGB 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,” said IGB Administrator Marcus Fruchter. “The IGB will continue working with our state and local partners on criminal investigations statewide to ensure and uphold the integrity and safety of gaming in Illinois.”
Raoul’s office collaborated with dozens of local law enforcement agencies in the 22 impacted counties throughout the course of the complex investigation. According to the Attorney General’s office, from January to November 2023 the men worked together to steal over $100,000 from video gaming machines in Cook, the Collar and Central Illinois counties. All the defendants, except for Friedrich, are awaiting their first appearance in DuPage County.
The public is encouraged to contact local law enforcement if anyone knows Friedrich’s whereabouts.
Friedrich was charged with:
- One count of theft between $10,000 and $100,000, a Class 2 felony.
- One count of money laundering, a Class 3 felony.
- Six counts of burglary, Class 2 felonies.
- One count of theft between $100,000 and $500,000, a Class 1 felony.
- One count of money laundering, a Class 2 felony.
- 20 counts of burglary, Class 2 felonies.
- One count of attempted burglary, a Class 3 felony.
- One count of theft between $500 and $10,000, a Class 3 felony.
- Two counts of burglary, Class 2 felonies.
- One count of attempted burglary, a Class 3 felony.
- One count of theft between $10,000 and $100,000, a Class 2 felony.
- 10 counts of burglary, Class 2 felonies.
- One count of attempted burglary, a Class 3 felony.
- One count of theft between $10,000 and $100,000, a Class 2 felony.
- Eight counts of burglary, Class 2 felonies.
- One count of attempted burglary, a Class 3 felony.
The public is reminded that the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. This case is ongoing, and additional information will be made available at a later date.
Raoul’s Statewide Grand Jury Bureau is authorized by Illinois statute to prosecute multi-county cases involving drugs, money laundering, guns or electronics. Working regularly with state and federal counterparts, the bureau focuses on complex, often large-scale, organized criminal activity.
Bureau Chief Gregg Gansmann is prosecuting the case for Raoul’s Statewide Grand Jury Bureau.
Original source can be found here.