In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Court Judge Alia Moses ordered Villarreal to pay
$167,109.41 in restitution to the Kickapoo and be placed on supervised release for a period of
three years after completing his prison term.
On September 9, 2019, Villarreal pleaded guilty to one count of embezzlement and theft from
Indian organizations. According to court documents, Villarreal served as an accounts payable
manager for the Kickapoo for approximately four years beginning in April 2017. During that
time, Villarreal wrote fraudulent checks payable to his wife from the Kickapoo general operating
account, which is funded primarily by revenue from the Lucky Eagle Casino. He deposited those
checks into his own personal bank account. Villarreal admitted there was no legitimate basis for
issuing these checks and that his wife knew nothing about his scheme.
The FBI conducted this investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sydni Connell, Sarah Spears and
Justin Chung prosecuted this case.