Cracking down on organized crime, Attorney General Kwame Raoul's office secured a guilty plea from Syed Zaidi, 42, of Romeoville, who was sentenced to three years behind bars for his involvement in an Illinois burglary spree. Zaidi, the last defendant in a group accused of pillaging businesses and stealing from video poker machines, admitted to a Class 2 felony burglary, according to an announcement from the Attorney General's office.
Since August 2022, charges were stacked against six individuals including Zaidi, for breaking into various establishments like bars, restaurants, and social clubs — making off with roughly $400,000. "Members of this burglary ring targeted [...] small businesses that have video poker and video gaming machines," Raoul said in a statement obtained by the Illinois Attorney General's office, emphasizing the scale of the criminal operation. With Zaidi's plea, all defendants have now admitted guilt in the burglary ring drama.
Giulia Wuttke, 54, from Chatsworth, faced her reckoning last month, pleading guilty to Class 3 felony conspiracy to commit money laundering. She received an 18-month conditional discharge, coughed up about $4,100 in seized cash, and was slapped with fines and court costs, as per the Illinois Attorney General's announcement.
The successful resolution came through teamwork, with several law enforcement agencies chipping in, including the ISP, whose Director, Brendan F. Kelly, vowed to "get criminals, like this burglary ring, off the streets". The Illinois Gaming Board also threw in their support, with Administrator Marcus Fruchter stating they will maintain a close watch to "safeguard the integrity and safety of Illinois gaming," according to the press release from the Attorney General's office.
This case fell into the jurisdiction of Raoul’s Statewide Grand Jury Bureau, which takes on multi-county crimes, focusing on elaborate, and often large-scale, organized criminal activities.
