LEE COUNTY, Fla. – A man and woman were arrested after pretending to work for the Florida Gaming Control Commission and robbing the 777 Arcade on Littleton Road in North Fort Myers.
According to the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, a worker said a woman wearing a suit and an older man wearing a security uniform came in Monday night. The report states the man had a gun in an open-carry holster.
The man and woman, later identified as Joseph Thomas Zimmer and Kelly Lynn Whalen, knocked on the door of the 777 Arcade and asked to come inside.
LCSO states the duo from Cape Coral claimed to be from the Florida Gaming Control Commission.
After being let in, they asked for keys to the gaming machines.
The report states the witness said they did not have access to the keys. The two then pulled out plastic bags that appeared to be evidence bags.
The witness called their boss and put him on speakerphone with the suspects. He stated he was two hours away, but he was on his way.
LCSO reports the suspects stated they were starting without him and requested they put the cash into plastic bags for evidence.
The witness opened up the safe and put the money into the bags.
The man tried to open the machines but failed. He stated they had vehicles on the way to confiscate the machines and told the witness to leave.
They were escorted out of the building by an unknown male, according to the report.
An operating partner of the business stated he was missing an unknown color door opener, worth approximately $50 dollars; an unknown color DVR system, worth approximately $50 dollars; an unknown color computer mouse, worth approximately $50 dollars. LCSO states the total amount of the missing items is approximately $818 dollars.
LCSO states the incident was not reported because he was not sure if it was a scam.
Upon later investigation, it was uncovered that the 777 Arcade was operating unlicensed, illegal machines.
The Sheriff’s Office said the ex-wife and ex-husband pressed their luck again at the Quick Hits arcade on N. Tamiami Trail in North Fort Myers to pull off a similar robbery.
They got away with $2,000 this time in a car registered to one of Whalen’s children.
Deputies stopped the two in a car near where they live in Cape Coral, finding evidence that linked them to both robberies.
The duo was taken to the Lee County Jail, but they have since been released.
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