$700K gone: Casino employee suspected of embezzlement
Hartford Township MI August 9 2023
A woman is accused of walking away with $700,000 from the Michigan casino where she worked. But even with a suspect in custody, the money is still missing.
Investigators say 38-year-old Danika Young took the money from Four Winds Hartford Casino in Hartford, Michigan, on the afternoon of July 30. She was later found in Gary, Indiana.
The sum of money, however, was not found.
Young told investigators that she got a call from a number that she didn’t recognize telling her to bring the money to Gary.
“She counted out $700,000 and put it in a bag and walked out of the casino,” an officer testified in court.
She met someone in Gary and gave them the money, police said. It’s not clear who the other person is or if police have a lead on them.
Young was arrested in Gary and had to be extradited back to Michigan. She was booked into the Van Buren County Jail on Wednesday and charged with embezzlement by an employee of $100,000 or more.
“I’m very sorry for what happened. This is my first charge, sir,” Young told a judge at an arraignment Wednesday.
“She’s the supervisor of the cash cage … so she has millions of dollars (that she is responsible for),” an officer testified at a probable cause hearing on July 31.
Young’s public defender said she has been working for Four Winds for 16 years, has a child and has support from family in the area. The judge said that wasn’t good enough to let grant her bond on personal recognizance.
“My concern is a very simple concern,” Judge Arthur Clarke said. “That $700,000 has not been located. … My concern is if I release you and $700,000 would show up and you would be off to wherever and I would not see you again.”
He set Young’s bond at $1 million.
Young, who has no criminal record, is expected back in court on Aug. 9 and Aug. 16 for her next hearings. If convicted, she could spend up to 20 years in prison.
