Chicago — Attorney General Kwame Raoul announced that a Will County man pleaded guilty and was sentenced to prison for burglarizing businesses and stealing cash from video poker machines. The plea is part of an ongoing burglary case Raoul announced in 2022 following a joint investigation with the Illinois Gaming Board, the Illinois State Police (ISP) and several local law enforcement agencies.
Brian Morgan, 42, of Plainfield, Illinois, was sentenced to nine years in prison in Lee County Circuit Court Thursday after pleading guilty to one count of Class 1 felony theft. Morgan was also sentenced to nine years in prison, to be served concurrently, after pleading guilty to one count of Class 2 felony burglary.
Morgan is currently in prison, serving a separate sentence in connection to unrelated charges.
“Members of this burglary ring allegedly targeted bars, restaurants, social clubs and other small businesses that have video poker and video gaming machines. They broke into dozens of these establishments in multiple counties and stole hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash out of the machines,” Raoul said. “This case is the result of countless hours of cooperation between my office and several law enforcement agencies. I would like to thank the many agencies that collaborated with my office on this investigation and helped us break up this burglary operation and hold the members accountable.”
In August 2022, the Attorney General’s office filed charges against four individuals, including Morgan, alleging they broke into businesses around Illinois and robbed video gaming machines, stealing approximately $400,000. Morgan allegedly committed offenses in the counties of Carroll, DeKalb, Grundy, Iroquois, Jo Daviess, Kane, Kendall, LaSalle, Lee, Mason, McLean, Ogle and Will.
“Working together, the Illinois Gaming Board, the Illinois Attorney General’s Office, Illinois State Police and other law enforcement agencies statewide, were able to dismantle and bring to justice those involved in this video gaming burglary ring,” said Illinois Gaming Board Administrator Marcus Fruchter. “The Gaming Board will continue to work closely with its federal, state and local law enforcement partners to maintain and uphold the integrity and safety of gaming in Illinois.”
The Attorney General’s office received support in its investigation from the Illinois Gaming Board and several law enforcement agencies, including the ISP, the DuPage County State’s Attorney’s office, the Lake County State’s Attorney’s office, the Joliet Police Department and the Bureau, DeKalb, Grundy, Iroquois, Kendall and LaSalle county sheriffs.
“ISP will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to fully investigate criminal acts and assist the Attorney General’s Office in bringing those who break the law to justice,” said ISP Director Brendan F. Kelly.
Assistant Attorney General Andrew Whitfield is prosecuting the case for Raoul’s Statewide Grand Jury Bureau.
