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Defendant pleads in Saginaw Chippewa Tribe casino robbery

Friday, May 8, 2015

The Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan. Photo from Facebook

A second defendant pleaded guilty for taking part in a robbery in the parking lot of a casino owned by the Saginaw Chippewa Tribe of Michigan.

Samantha N. Wynn, 20, admitted to a charge of unarmed robbery, The Mt. Pleasant Morning Sun reported. She was due to go trial on Monday and could face up to 15 years in prison, the paper said.

According to authorities, Wynn lured the victim to the Soaring Eagle Casino and Resort with the intent of robbing him. She enlisted two others in the scheme -- one of them, Taj M. Shackleford, 20, is serving a long prison term after he pleaded no contest to armed robbery and being a felon in possession of a weapon in March.

Authorities said Wynn knew the victim had won $2,500 at a casino owned by Nottawaseppi Huron Band of Potawatomi Indians. But since she can't gamble at the FireKeepers Casino -- the legal age there is 21 -- she asked him to go to Soaring Eagle, where the minimum age is 18.

The third person who was involved in the scheme was a 15-year-old who accidentally shot himself with a gun and was taken to a hospital prior to the actual crime.

Get the Story:
Soaring Eagle Casino parking lot robber takes reduced charge (The Mt. Pleasant Morning Sun 5/8)