During Arcade Heists, FL Couple Posed As State Officials: Sheriff

CAPE CORAL, FL — A Florida couple posed as state gaming commission officers to steal thousands of dollars from two Lee County arcades. (Watch surveillance video footage of their crimes and videos of their arrests below.)

Joseph Zimmer, 48, and his ex-wife, Kelly Whalen, 51, of Cape Coral face several felony charges “after an elaborate scheme to defraud two arcade businesses,” the Lee County Sheriff’s Office wrote in a Facebook post. “Want to make a bet on how that turned out?”

They went to the 777 Arcade in North Fort Myers on Monday afternoon and posed as Florida Control Gaming Commission employees.

• Also Read: Illegal Gaming Sting Targets Locations Across Florida

Zimmer dressed in a uniform shirt with a patch labeled U.S. Security Associates and wore a holstered gun. Whalen wore business attire and had a lanyard around her neck with an ID card. They both told the victim they were with the gaming commission and said the business was operating illegally.

They told the victim to give them money from the safe for documentation, the sheriff’s office said. A computer mouse, a DVR system and $660 were taken by the pair when they left the arcade.

Next, they went to Quick Hits Arcade in North Fort Myers. The duo walked away with more than $2,000.

They drove away from both arcades in a vehicle that was registered to Whalen’s child.

Detectives with the LCSO’s Violent Crimes Unit worked with Real Time Intelligence Center analysts to identify Zimmer through surveillance images and facial recognition software, the agency said.

Zimmer and Whalen were taken into custody during a traffic stop near their Cape Coral home. Investigators found evidence during the traffic stop connecting them to the arcade heists, the sheriff’s office said.

Zimmer was charged with impersonating an official, fraudulently obtaining property and driving while license revoked. Whalen was charged with fraudulently obtaining property.

Whalen has a previous criminal history to include resisting officer, cocaine possession and failure to appear. Zimmer has prior convictions for battery and failure to pay fines.

Watch surveillance video footage of their crimes and videos of their arrests: