LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — A person who satisfied a Las Vegas on line casino cage employee that he was a lodge co-owner and that she wanted to provide him greater than $1 million in bogus funds may spend a number of years in jail.
Erik Gutierrez Martinez, 24, pleaded responsible Monday to 1 cost of theft of greater than $100,000. Gutierrez Martinez initially confronted two felony counts. As a part of a plea deal, Clark County District Courtroom Choose Jasmin Lilly-Spells may sentence Gutierrez Martinez to anyplace from one to 10 years in jail.
Because the 8 Information Now Investigators first reported in June, Las Vegas Metro police searched Gutierrez Martinez’s house on June 21, discovering bundles of cash from Circa Lodge & On line casino, which they consider have been a part of a rip-off to defraud the enterprise of greater than $1 million, paperwork stated.
Paperwork the 8 Information Now Investigators later obtained within the case revealed the allegations concerned thefts at Circa, Eureka On line casino Resort in Mesquite and the Golden Nugget in Laughlin — in addition to federal investigators, together with the U.S. Secret Service. As a part of the plea deal, Gutierrez Martinez accepts guilt solely within the Circa case.
In March, a on line casino cage supervisor on the Eureka on line casino eliminated $250,000 from the property and drove to Las Vegas to ship the cash to an individual who she believed was owed cash for hand sanitizer. The individual investigators consider the worker met with at a gasoline station parking zone was Gutierrez Martinez, paperwork stated.
On March 2 round 1:30 a.m., an individual referred to as the Eureka on line casino cage from a Mexican cellphone quantity a few lacking verify to a enterprise, paperwork stated. The individual then referred to as the worker’s private mobile phone, telling her to seek for a verify that was made out to a enterprise, which she would discover within the cage, paperwork stated. Mesquite is greater than 80 miles northeast of Las Vegas close to the Arizona border.
The worker advised the individual on the cellphone she couldn’t discover the verify. The individual on the cellphone then instructed the worker to take away $250,000 in money from the on line casino cage and ship to it to a different individual in Las Vegas, paperwork stated.
The worker took $250,000 from the cage, put it in a cardboard field and left, paperwork stated, reportedly saying to a different worker, “We don’t need anybody to learn about this, it’s embarrassing to [another employee].”
As soon as the worker arrived on the gasoline station, the individual on the cellphone instructed her to deposit $15,000 right into a Bitcoin machine, paperwork stated. The individual on the cellphone then advised her to go to a second location, however the Bitcoin machine was out of order.
The individual on the cellphone then advised the worker to go to a 3rd gasoline station to fulfill an individual, later recognized as Gutierrez Martinez, to ship the remaining $235,000, paperwork stated. The worker met Gutierrez Martinez within the gasoline station parking zone, however earlier than she left, she acquired a cellphone name from somebody on the on line casino who ordered her to return with the cash, paperwork stated.
Whereas talking with investigators, the worker stated, “she acquired a name from a ‘frantic’ particular person” who stated, “there was a difficulty relating to a contract and fee of $250,000 and the fee wanted to be delivered instantly.” The worker stated her job didn’t contain “dealing with funds from distributors or suppliers.”
Investigators decided the cash transferred to Bitcoin was despatched to 17 completely different accounts, they stated. The cash concerned additionally was despatched to Gibraltar, the British territory on the entrance to the Mediterranean Sea.
On June 17, police responded to the Circa Lodge & On line casino in downtown Las Vegas for a report of an identical rip-off, the 8 Information Now Investigators first reported in June. An individual from the lodge’s safety workplace advised detectives “an unknown individual” had contacted the on line casino cage “claiming to be the proprietor of the lodge” and asking for $320,000 for an emergency fee to the fireplace division, police wrote in courtroom paperwork.
Police interviewed the cage supervisor, who stated she acquired a cellphone name from an individual who claimed they have been the lodge’s proprietor. The individual, who was not the lodge’s proprietor, stated “the fireplace division wanted to do a verify on the fireplace extinguishers” and “they would want a fee for additional security units,” paperwork stated.
The cage supervisor introduced the cash in 4 installments to the unknown individual at completely different off-site areas, paperwork stated. The funds totaled $314,000, $350,000, and $500,000, plus three smaller deposits, leading to a lack of $1,170,000 to the lodge, paperwork stated. The worker believed she was on the cellphone with the lodge’s proprietor and texting along with her supervisor, police stated.
Detectives tracked the car concerned within the suspected theft, discovering its registered proprietor. Police suspect the automobile belonged to Gutierrez Martinez’s aunt with whom he lives.
Police arrested Gutierrez Martinez at a fitness center on Sunday, June 18, they stated. They later recovered practically $850,000. Police didn’t know on the time of writing his arrest report final week who was given the excellent $314,000, they stated. One other man within the automobile with Gutierrez Martinez earlier than his arrest was not detained.
Gutierrez Martinez has remained in custody on the Clark County Detention Middle since his June arrest.
Gaming Management Board investigators stated an identical scheme additionally occurred on the Golden Nugget in Laughlin, although Gutierrez Martinez was by no means charged on a 3rd theft cost.
Representatives from Eureka Mesquite and Golden Nugget Laughlin casinos didn’t return requests for remark.
Derek Stevens, CEO of Circa, stated in June that Circa was cooperating with the investigation and that he appreciated Metro’s efforts.
Lilly-Spells will sentence Gutierrez Martinez on Oct. 30.
