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Abraham Ruiz, a 44-year-old man from Joplin, has been sentenced to nearly three years in federal prison for his role in a massive, nationwide casino identity theft scheme. According to court documents, Ruiz was part of a team of five people who used stolen identities and fake driver’s licenses to siphon more than $800,000 from the victims’ casino accounts.Â
Identity fraud targeting casino players
Court documents detail a long-running identity fraud scheme targeting players at casinos across the country. A group of five individuals targeted a company that provides cash access services to online casinos and sports betting operators. The fraudsters stole the personal identifying information (PII) of customers and used the information to develop counterfeit driver’s licenses. They then used the fake IDs to withdraw funds directly from the victims’ accounts at various casinos throughout the country.Â
The scheme ran for three years, from July 2021 through March 2024. In that period, the fraud ring stole about $800,000 in fraudulent transactions. Notably, the withdrawal transactions were made face-to-face.
Fraudsters caught and sentenced
All five individuals were caught after a successful multi-agency cross-state operation. Abraham Ruiz pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and was sentenced to two years and ten months in federal prison.
Jeremy Cushing, the ringleader, was sentenced to seven years and 11 months in federal prison, the longest sentence of the group. Other co-conspirators included Rachael Matoian (three years and two months), Casandra Williams (one year), and Leroy Noll (one year).
Various law enforcement agencies collaborated in a multi-year cross-state operation to investigate the fraud ring. The investigating team included the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Kansas City Field Office, the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office in Missouri, and the Prairie Band Potawatomi Tribal Police Department.
