Peoria and Tazewell businesses victimized as part of statewide burglary ring

Businesses in Peoria and Tazewell counties were impacted by a burglary ring that led to the arrests of five people by the Illinois Attorney General's office earlier this month.

Attorney General Kwame Raoul said that 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 were charged with multiple felonies for allegedly stealing over $100,000 from video gaming machines across the state over an 11-month period last year.

Raoul said that dozens of businesses in 12 counties were impacted, from gas stations to bars and small gaming parlors in Cook, DuPage, Kane, Kendall, Champaign, Lake, Tazewell, DeWitt, Peoria, Kankakee, McLean and Will counties. In total, 22 separate burglaries were reported.

More: These 12 city of Peoria employees have the highest base salaries

When contacted by the Journal Star, the attorney general's office declined to identify which businesses were burglarized, citing an ongoing investigation.

For those arrested, Friedrich was charged with one count of theft between $10,000-100,000, one count of money laundering and six counts of burglary; Montoro received one count of theft between $100,000-500,000, one count of money laundering, 20 counts of burglary and another count of attempted burglary; Perez was charged with one count of theft between $500-10,000, two counts of burglary and another count of attempted burglary; Sickel was charged with one count of theft between $10,000-100,000, 10 counts of burglary and another count of attempted burglary; and Wiley was charged with one count of theft between $10,000-100,000, eight counts of burglary and another count of attempted burglary.

Each with the exception of Friedrich are awaiting a first appearance in DuPage County Circuit Court.

Raoul gave credit to the dozens of law enforcement agencies who assisted in the investigation.

"These arrests are the result of countless hours of investigative work and close collaborations between my office and several law enforcement agencies," Raoul said. "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.”

IGB referred the case to the attorney general's office, with administrator Marcus Fruchter praising the collaborative work done by each agency to bring those to justice.

"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," Fruchter said. "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."

Those with further information on the case are asked to contact law enforcement in the impacted counties.

More: Teen charged with attempted murder in Peoria shooting that injured 16-year-old

This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Peoria and Tazewell businesses victimized as part of statewide burglary ring