Larchwood, Iowa — We now have more information about a Worthington (MN) man who was arrested on a warrant for felony gambling charges in regard to what we now know are multiple incidents at Grand Falls Casino.
According to a criminal complaint filed with the Lyon County Clerk of Court’s Office by the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI), 49-year-old Julio Cerritos Mejia of Worthington is accused of claiming multiple jackpots under another person’s name over the last nine years.
According to the DCI agent, it all came to light in July when the person who actually IS the person shown on the documents that Cerritos Mejia presented contacted Grand Falls to report his identity was being used to collect jackpot winnings, according to the IRS. The IRS told the man, who is from Texas, that he owed over $20,000 in back taxes from Grand Falls winnings in 2021.
The agent says that upon further investigation, it was determined that between July 2, 2016, and July 13, 2025, Cerritos Mejia claimed 60 jackpots totaling $136,636.10. In each instance, an IRS W2-G was issued to him, and in each instance, he presented a Minnesota ID card with the victim’s information and falsified his signature to claim the jackpot. In 2021, over $60,000 in jackpot winnings resulted in the IRS contacting the victim, stating $20,000 in taxes is owed.
Cerritos Mejia was charged with gambling – avoid forfeiture of money, and conspiracy to commit non-forcible felony. He also faces five counts of forgery, identity theft over $10,000, and second-degree fraudulent practice. All are class D felonies except the identity theft charge, which is a class C felony.
If convicted, he could face up to five years in prison on each class D count and ten years on the class C count. If he’s found guilty on all counts and ordered to serve the terms consecutively, they would add up to 40 years.
He faces a preliminary hearing on the charges on Friday.
At last report, Cerritos Mejia remained in the Lyon County Jail in Rock Rapids in lieu of a $50,000 bond.
KIWA Staff Photo
