Many decide to emulate the casino robberies we see in the movies. Still, far from becoming masterstrokes, they end up in the worst possible way.
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The Most Disastrous Casino Robbery Attempts
Throughout history, many have tried to replicate their favorite heist movies to rob casinos. Convinced of the reliability of their plans and forgetting that, in real life, there is no such thing as a Hollywood ending.
The (almost) Perfect Botched Heist
In December 2010, a 29-year-old medical student at the University of Nevada in the United States decided to reverse his bankruptcy by robbing the Bellagio Casino in Las Vegas. The truth is that Anthony Carleo was not inexperienced in the robbery business since five days earlier, he had robbed the Suncoast Casino. Located 20 minutes away from his second target. There he got $18,945 in cash and, confident that nothing could go wrong again, he set out to repeat the feat. As the police christened him, the motorcycle bandit parked his black Suzuki in front of the Bellagio and, without removing his helmet and wielding a gun, walked straight into the craps table.
He yelled for the players to move, and without firing a shot, he picked up the chips from the table, put them in his backpack, and drove off on his motorcycle. He committed the perfect coup, as no one could recognize him. Still, a small detail spoiled his joy because the 1.5 million dollars he got in chips could only be redeemed in the same casino. At that moment, Anthony, son of a reputable judge, began to think of a way to convert those plastic coins into cash.
The casino made a quick move, canceling the highest value ($25,000) and setting a deadline so that only players who had them before the robbery could withdraw them. With this measure, Carleo was left with 400 thousand dollars in chips of lower value. He changed on several occasions, making it look like he was winning with his bets until a dealer became suspicious of him.
Love, Theft, and Heartbreak
Often, the tests of love are excessive, such as the ones carried out by Heather Tallchief and Roberto Solis. The couple had no other idea than to organize a robbery of the Circus Circus casino in Las Vegas to shout to the world that they were in love.
The woman, who was 21 years old in October 1993, worked as a driver for an armored car company. She agreed with her partner, 22 years her senior, to hijack a van containing 2.5 million dollars belonging to the casino. Once gathered and with such an amount in their hands, the lovers drove to the Las Vegas airport, where they took a private plane to Denver.
With justice pursuing them and a new life as fugitives, feelings went out the door when the money came in, as Solis disappeared with the loot leaving Tallchief and her baby with only $1,000.
Greed Broke the Sack
Greed, pride, lust, anger, gluttony… all are deadly sins, and all are part of the personality of Reginald Johnson, the protagonist of the last disastrous heist we tell you about. This man became obsessed with pulling off a big heist at the Treasure Island casino in Las Vegas, and in just five months, he robbed it three times. The first two times, he succeeded in his goal, and the second time he managed to get his hands on $30,000 worth of loot.
Not satisfied, Johnson, who at the time of the events was 27 years old, ventured to rob the emblematic store for the third time on December 12, 2000. Still, when he could not achieve his goal, he shot a security guard in the back and an employee through the security bars that the management had installed to prevent further robberies.
The offender was arrested. During the trial, he bragged about his crimes, taunting everyone in the courtroom, even threatening the judge and making sexual suggestions to the prosecutor. When the hit recordings saw the light of day, the criminal began to laugh when he saw himself shooting the security guard.