A St. Paul man who prosecutors say led a crew of late-night pull-tab thieves was sentenced Thursday to 78 months in prison after a string of burglaries at Twin Cities bars, golf courses, and veterans' halls drained nearly $200,000 from charitable gambling funds meant for youth teams, veterans groups, and other local causes. The sentence caps a lengthy investigation that tied dozens of smash-and-grab hits to the group, and the judge also ordered restitution to help cover losses to businesses and insurers caught up in the spree.
Investigation Tracked A Metro-Wide Burglary Pattern
According to a press release from the Minnesota Department of Public Safety’s Alcohol and Gambling Enforcement division, agents say the crew carried out 44 burglaries or attempted burglaries between March 6, 2023, and Feb. 22, 2024, pulling in about $197,694 in cash from pull-tab proceeds. AGE said the 14-month probe began after agents noticed a pattern of break-ins at bars, golf courses, and veterans' posts, and more than 20 local law enforcement partners ultimately worked on the case. Investigators say suspects used pry bars and sledgehammers to smash doors, haul out safes, and grab cash that should have gone to charitable programs, as detailed by the Minnesota Department of Public Safety.
Sentences And Restitution For The Crew
Arron Scott King Sr. pleaded guilty to racketeering and was sentenced to 78 months in Hennepin County District Court, according to reporting in the Pioneer Press. Co-defendants received a mix of prison terms and stayed sentences, including four-year terms for Cory Rosillo and Tyler Paananen-Berneche and a stayed 6.5-year term for Emondre Morrison, while others have pleaded guilty and are still awaiting sentencing. The judge ordered restitution that includes payments to insurers along with several businesses hit during the burglary spree, the paper reported.
Veterans' Halls And Youth Sports Took The Hit
Surveillance and police reports show the group focused on pull-tab cash at American Legion posts, VFW halls, and bars across the metro, including a Forest Lake VFW that lost roughly $25,500 in one break-in and Full Tilt Tavern in Bloomington, which reported a loss of more than $18,000 in a separate incident. In multiple cases, thieves pried safes from buildings or used sledgehammers to smash doors and windows, leaving owners to deal with repairs and insurance claims on top of the missing gambling proceeds, according to a list of break-ins and examples compiled in local coverage by FOX 9.
How Investigators Pieced The Case Together
AGE agents say the investigation formally began in August 2023 and leaned on surveillance footage, search warrants, and phone and financial records to link suspects to specific hits. Charges in the racketeering case were filed in April 2025. Prosecutors allege the operation was organized out of a St. Paul residence, with members coordinating targets and timing across county lines. The investigation spanned numerous jurisdictions as agents worked with partner agencies to recognize patterns and connect the burglaries across the metro, the agency said in its release.
What Comes Next For Defendants And Victims
Some defendants still face trial dates this summer, the Pioneer Press reports, while others have pleaded guilty and are waiting to be sentenced. Victims have been notified about restitution filings, and community leaders say the case underlines how vulnerable charitable gambling proceeds can be, even though local groups rely on them to fund youth and veteran programs, the reporting notes.
Owners and volunteers told reporters the thefts hurt well beyond the dollar amounts, forcing temporary closures and putting fundraisers on hold while they handled repairs and insurance paperwork. Local officials have urged bars and clubs that host pull-tab games to tighten storage and accounting practices in hopes of reducing the chance of future thefts.
