KLAS LAS VEGAS — Police say a man allegedly took a taxi to Resorts World on the Strip earlier this week, robbed the casino, and then departed in a taxi with an undisclosed sum of money. Any heist on the Las Vegas Strip makes the news, but it’s not as uncommon as some people believe. Here are some of the most infamous casino robberies in recent memory.
MIT Blackjack Team
The MIT blackjack team would be at the top of the list when it comes to the amount of money stolen from a casino if card counting was a crime. Between 1979 and 1994, the crew counted cards in Las Vegas. The amount the team won is unknown, however estimates range from $22 million to $57 million.
Bellagio’s The Biker Bandit costs $1.5 million.
The biggest casino theft in terms of actual crimes would be the “Biker Bandit” at the Bellagio in 2010.
The Bellagio was invaded by Anthony Michael Carleo, the son of a Las Vegas judge, who was carrying a revolver and wearing a motorcycle helmet. He stole $1.5 million worth of chips from a craps table.
A security footage of his escape for freedom was captured, and it was quickly viewed all over the world. But using a motorcycle, he escaped. It revealed out that Carleo had similarly taken chips worth $20,000 from the Suncoast Hotel & Casino a few days prior.
He eventually got caught as a result of bragging. Carleo is currently serving a sentence of nine to 27 years in a state prison in Nevada.
Jose Vigoa
$160,000 for Bellagio
A theft took place at the Bellagio in 2000. At this point, Jose Vigoa jumped over the cashier’s cage counter and stuffed a bag with chips valued at $160,000.
During the robbery, Vigoa, a former commando in the Cuban Revolutionary Armed Forces, did wear bulletproof gear, but he did not cover his face and was quickly apprehended. For many robberies and the murder of two armored truck guards, he is currently serving four life sentences.
$1.1 million Smoke Bombs at the Stardust
Over the years, the Stardust casino had a considerable amount of crime, and a sophisticated inside job with smoke bombs occurred during a robbery in 1991.
Security guard for the Stardust, Royal Hopper, employed his two sons as fictitious robbers to steal $150,000. Hopper and his sons increased their robberies six months after their first one. They attacked a security guard when he was transporting checks and cash totaling $1.1 million from an armored truck, and they hid their escape by using smoke bombs.
$50000 at Stardust Sportsbook
By the year’s end, the Stardust would experience another internal strike. This time, the task of counting the money from the sportsbook was given to a cashier by the name of Bill Brennan. All $500,000 of the money was counted by Brennan before he took it and left.
He took half of it in cash and half in chips when he departed.
This is one instance where the offender escaped detection by the law. Brennan was even included on the FBI’s Most Wanted list up until 2006. But his case was dropped when the Stardust went out of business. The crime has not been solved.
$30,000 for Treasure Island
A man made the decision to attack Treasure Island three times in the year 2000 before his luck ran out.
In July and October, Reginald Johnson successfully stole Treasure Island and made off with $30,000. But on his third try, in December, he wound up shooting at security personnel and wounding them.
He was apprehended by authorities this time and eventually entered a guilty plea to charges of robbery and attempted murder.
Unknown amount at Mandalay Bay
In 2005, two masked males barged into the Mandalay Bay change booth and threatened the cashier with a revolver. The men allegedly ordered the workers on the ground and fired warning bullets into the ceiling.
The burglars fled in a car that was parked outside after taking what is still an unspecified sum of cash.
More Robberies
The poker room of the Bellagio was robbed in 2017. Intruders broke into a jewelry store at the resort earlier that year with sledgehammers while wearing pig masks and tuxedos. Sebastian Gonzales, 20, was detained by police for the crime.
A man attempted to rob the Bellagio in 2014 by stealing casino chips from tables. According to the police, Michael Belton and another man doused a blackjack dealer with pepper spray while wearing wigs and sunglasses, grabbed $115,000 worth of chips, and then tried to flee. The other man got away, and Belton was found guilty.
These robberies and other crimes against Las Vegas casinos dating back to the 1930s are just a small sample.
Leave a Reply