8 People Face Charges for Allegedly Stealing $197K From Charities

ST. PAUL (WJON News) -- Eight people are facing racketeering charges after allegedly stealing nearly $200,000 from charitable gambling organizations in Minnesota.

The Minnesota Department of Public Safety says its Alcohol and Gambling Enforcement division conducted a multi-agency investigation over a several-month period.

AGE agents began coordinating the investigation in August 2023 after seeing a pattern of burglaries that targeted pull tab charitable funds.

Investigators allege 50-year-old Arron King Senior of St. Paul led the co-defendants and others in the scheme based out of his home. The suspects would break into safes that contained cash from pull tab sales meant to fund charitable activities.

Investigators learned that King communicated the burglary targets to his accomplices. The suspects would then case or obtain information on the target businesses. They used tools like pry bars and sledgehammers to break into buildings and access pull tab booths and safes.

The activity took place from March 2023 to February 2024.