Illinois Gaming Board Agents Arrest Four Men for Video Gaming Café Burglary

The Illinois Gaming Board (IGB) and the Illinois Attorney General’s Office announces the arrest of 23-year-old Diego G. Lopez from Mount Prospect, 23-year-old Gamaliel Garcia, Jr., from Chicago, 22-year-old Elliott J. Myers from Chicago, and 23-year-old Adrian A. Zavala from Berwyn. The four men were each charged with one count of burglary, a Class 2 felony punishable by up to seven years in prison and one count of possession of burglary tools, a Class 4 felony punishable by up to three years in prison.

On December 18, 2024, the Gaming Board discovered a burglary at Silver Oaks Investment, Inc. d/b/a Tracy’s, a video gaming café, located at 1413 W. 127th Street in Calumet Park. The investigation by Gaming Board Agents revealed that the men fled the location unable to access funds from video gaming machines. All four men were later arrested and taken into custody.

Berwyn, Bensenville, and Calumet Park Police Departments also worked with IGB and ISP in the investigation.

“The IGB was pleased again to partner with the Illinois Attorney General’s Office, Illinois State Police (ISP) and other local law enforcement agencies to bring these offenders to justice,” said IGB Administrator Marcus D. Fruchter. “We will continue to track down criminals who target gambling establishments to ensure we uphold the integrity and safety of gaming in Illinois.”

“My office is proud to partner with government agencies and law enforcement to identify criminals and ensure they are held accountable for harming small businesses like gaming cafés,” said Attorney General Kwame Raoul. “I thank the Illinois Gaming Board and the agencies that joined in this effort, and I am committed to continuing similar partnerships that help us hold criminals accountable across jurisdictions.”

All suspects facing criminal charges are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. This investigation is ongoing and no further information is available.

The IGB serves as the state regulatory and law enforcement agency responsible for overseeing all licensed casino gambling, video gaming and sports wagering to ensure the integrity and safety of Illinois gaming while generating revenue for the state and gaming host communities.

Illinois is home to 16 casinos, 15 licensed sportsbooks, and a network of more than 8,700 licensed video gaming establishments.

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Ray Hanania is an award-winning opinion columnist, author & former Chicago City Hall reporter (1977-1992). A veteran who served during the Vietnam War and the recipient of four SPJ Peter Lisagor Awards for column writing, Hanania writes weekly opinion columns on mainstream American & Chicagoland topics for the Southwest News-Herald, Des Plaines Valley News, the Regional News, The Reporter Newspapers, and Suburban Chicagoland.

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Hanania was named "Best Ethnic American Columnist" by the New America Media in November 2007, and is the 2009 recipient of the SPJ National Sigma Delta Chi Award for column writing.

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