Duo impersonated gaming commission staff, confiscated cash at Florida arcades, cops say
A divorced Florida couple successfully pulled off two arcade robberies by masquerading as gaming commission investigators, using name tags and a holstered pistol, according to the Lee County Sheriff’s Office.
Their big mistake, investigators say, was doing it twice in one afternoon.
The duo was arrested after the real Florida Gaming Control Commission confirmed none of its agents had been at either arcade in North Fort Myers, the sheriff’s office said in a news release.
Both robberies occurred Monday, June 26, and involved a man “dressed in a uniform shirt with a patch labeled US Security Associates and a holstered firearm” and a woman “wearing business attire and had a lanyard around her neck with an ID card,” officials said.
A staff member at 777 Arcade in North Fort Myers reports the couple said “they were from ‘The Gaming Commission’ and stated the business was operating illegally,” the sheriff’s office said.
“(They) instructed the victim to turn over currency from the safe for documentation: $660.00, a computer mouse, and a DVR system were taken by the pair as they left the business,” officials said.
The suspects then went to Quick Hits Arcade in North Fort Myers, officials said, and got “just over $2,000” using the same routine.
“With the assistance of the Real Time Intelligence Center analysts, detectives were able to identify (the man) through surveillance images and facial recognition software,” officials said.
“The vehicle the duo drove away in was registered to (the woman’s) child. ... Tactical Narcotics Team members nabbed (the suspects) during a traffic stop near their home in Cape Coral. Evidence was located during the traffic stop that linked the duo to the heists.”
The 48-year-old man is “charged with impersonating an official, fraudulently obtaining property, and driving while license revoked,” officials said. The woman, who is 51, was charged with fraudulently obtaining property.
This story was originally published June 29, 2023 at 4:27 AM with the headline "Duo impersonated gaming commission staff, confiscated cash at Florida arcades, cops say."