Instead of staying in a comfortable suite in Las Vegas, a con man will soon be spending time in a prison cell. Eric Gutierrez Martinez, 24, was accused of committing a scam that netted more than $1 million from the Circa Hotel and Casino in downtown Las Vegas.
On Monday, he pleaded guilty to one count of stealing more than $100,000, bringing an end to one of the most intriguing crime sprees to hit Vegas in years.
Martinez was originally charged with two felonies and reached a plea deal with prosecutors. He now faces a prison sentence of between one and 10 years.
Details about fraud
Martinez’s plot was discovered when police began investigating in June. Officers responded to a call from Circa and were informed that an “unknown person” had spoken on the phone with an employee at the casino cage and claimed to be the hotel’s owner, Derek Stevens.
The person on the phone requested a six-figure sum of cash as an emergency payment to the fire department for “safety devices.”
Not only did the trick work, it worked multiple times! The supervisor will continue to deliver a total of $1.2 million in batches of $314,000, $350,000, $500,000, and three smaller deposits to locations throughout Sin City. Police said the woman believed she was actually speaking to the hotel owner, after she sent a text message to her manager and also met with his lawyer.
Police tracked down the car used in the robbery, which belonged to Martinez’s aunt. Eventually, the police searched the house and found a large amount of money. Police said some of those US coins included coin belts bearing the “Circa” mark.
Officers then arrested Martinez at his gym on June 18. Nearly $850,000 has been recovered, but $314,000 is still missing.
“Although I love a good PR story, this is not one of them,” Circa CEO Derek Stevens said at the time.
Other details about the casino robbery emerge
Aside from the Circa robberies, Martinez is believed to be responsible for similar attempted robberies at the Eureka Casino in Mesquite and the Golden Nugget in Laughlin as well. However, as part of the plea deal, he only accepted guilt in the Circa case.
In March, Eureka cage supervisor He took $250,000 to a gas station in Las Vegas To pay what you think you’re owed for hand sanitizer, she says Channel 8 News Now. Over the phone, Martinez asked the employee to deposit $15,000 at a Bitcoin kiosk, and later asked her to go to a gas station to hand over the remaining amount.
Police say Martinez was scheduled to receive the cash, but after receiving a warning call from the casino, the employee returned to the property with the cash. According to court documents, a casino employee told her that her duties did not include “handling payments from vendors or suppliers,” helping her avoid a costly mistake.
