South Dakota Casino Scammed out of $350,000, Arrest Made

A Nebraska man has been arrested for allegedly scamming a South Dakota casino out of $350,000.

According to court documents, Roberto Orellana, 44, of Omaha, contacted an employee at the Grand River Casino near Mobridge, claiming to be a representative of a company collecting fines and performing an audit on the casino, which is owned and operated by the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe.

Orellana convinced the employee to make a $350,000 payment to 'prevent 'further fines'. That was followed up by a text that the employee believed was from his supervisor directing him to transfer the money into a Bitcoin machine in Aberdeen.

While en route to Aberdeen, the employee received a text message telling him to travel to a Mitchell gas station instead to meet with an 'attorney' who supposedly represented the casino.

Upon arriving in Mitchell, the employee handed the money over to two individuals.

Get our free mobile app

After the incident was reported to authorities, the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation obtained surveillance footage from the gas station which helped identify the credit card used by one of the men who received the money.

That led to the arrest of Orellana, who made his first appearance in a Mitchell courtroom this week, pleading not guilty to charges of felony grand theft, which carries a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison and a $30,000 fine.

According to the Mitchell Republic, Orellana was denied a bond modification during his hearing. Judge Chris Giles said federal authorities have a bond hold in place for Orellana.