Diamond Jo Casino Received $2 Million in Stolen Funds

Woman facing racketeering charge spent $2 million at Diamond Jo

ALBERT LEA, Minn. - A Freeborn County, Minn., commissioner accused of racketeering and theft through her title company spent more than $2 million gambling at Diamond Jo Casino in Northwood over the past two years, according to Iowa authorities.

Linda Tuttle, 59, addressed in court by her full name, Linda Kae Tuttle-Olson, was charged Monday in Freeborn County District Court on one count of racketeering and 12 counts of felony theft by swindle. She is accused of stealing more than $1 million.

The new charges replace a prior count filed in June of felony theft through false representation of about $48,000.

The prosecutor's court filing outright claims Albert Lea Abstract, which Tuttle owns, became a criminal business.

The racketeering charge includes a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine. The theft-by-swindle charges carry maximum penalties of either 10 years in prison and a $20,000 fine or 20 years in prison and a $100,000 fine.

Steele County is prosecuting the case because of Tuttle's role as District 5 commissioner in Freeborn County.

Documents state Tuttle reportedly moved funds from trust and escrow accounts at Albert Lea Abstract to other bank accounts and herself by "kiting" checks and issuing checks on the accounts without sufficient funds.

Kiting is when a person with several accounts shifts funds from one to another to inflate the balances.

The investigation says Tuttle was kiting to avoid bad checks.

In Tuttle's case, some of the funds were to be held in escrow accounts for a year or more, which allowed the ongoing alleged thefts to be concealed and remain undiscovered until a search warrant was conducted at the business on June 22 and various accounts were subsequently frozen, the court documents say.

"As Albert Lea Abstract continued to receive client funds intended for new closings, Tuttle-Olson used funds intended for closings through Albert Lea Abstract for personal use, including large amounts directed toward casino gambling," records state.

According to the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, a Diamond Jo Casino in-house record of Tuttle's player card shows that from February 2008, when she first obtained the card, to June 2, 2010, she reportedly played in $2.4 million in slot machines, getting a little more than $2 million in payouts, leaving her $309,000 in the hole.

Tuttle is being held on unconditional bail of $100,000, cash or bond, and a conditional bail of $25,000, cash or bond.

As of 4 p.m. Monday, Tuttle had not posted bail and remained in custody in the Freeborn County jail.

Sarah Stultz is a reporter for the Albert Lea Tribune.