A former security guard at Artichoke Joe’s Casino in San Bruno, California, recently tried to escape from the United States to the Philippines. According to officials, he was detained for stealing $31,000 from the card room. 

John Villareal, 29, took the money on July 5. He was arrested and subsequently a judge freed him on his own recognizance, as reported by the San Francisco Standard news source. 

This indicates that the unnamed judge opted not to establish bail for the case. Villareal was freed from detention on Monday. 

As he was attempting to board the plane earlier this week, officers from the San Bruno Police Department detained him at San Francisco International Airport. An investigation showed he had roughly $10K in cash at the airport. 

Prosecutor Outraged by Judge 

Later this week, San Mateo District Attorney Stephen Wagstaffe expressed his anger towards the judge for failing to set bail in the case. 

“Here’s a guy who said, ‘I just stole $31,000, I’ve still got $10,000 of it, and I’m going to the Philippines never to return,’” Wagstaffe said in an interview with the Standard.

"He’s charged with three felonies, and we [release] him? That wouldn’t have happened a few years ago and that’s the new modern world, and that’s what happened. So, he’s out of custody on his own recognizance. No bail required.”

Across the nation, law enforcement and prosecutors have voiced concerns that judges frequently release criminal defendants without imposing bail. 

The incident involving Villareal started when he received a key to a lockbox from a fellow employee at the card room. Inside was thirty-one thousand dollars. 

According to the police, he subsequently carried the box to a restroom and placed the money into a duffle bag. 

He threw the lockbox into a trash bin. He subsequently returned the key to the staff member. 

When employees learned the cash was never delivered to the cashier, they checked the card room surveillance footage. 

They observed Villareal reportedly taking the money. Soon after, he was apprehended by the local authorities. 

Villareal was subsequently charged with embezzlement by an employee, grand theft, and second-degree burglary. 

The card room with 51 tables is situated immediately west of San Francisco International Airport. 

A portion of cash utilized for bill payments 

While conducting their inquiry, officers reported discovering that Villareal used approximately $4,000 of the funds to settle his expenses. 

An additional $16K was provided to Villareal’s relative. That individual spent $3K for bill payments. The leftover $13K has not been explained. The cousin was not taken into custody. 

In 2021, Artichoke Joe’s Casino incurred a historic $5.3M penalty for breaching the Bank Secrecy Act.