Trying to defraud Las Vegas casinos out of millions of dollars could result in some jail time for a man who has made some big money.
Eric Gutierrez Martinez, 24, pleaded guilty to a charge of theft of more than $100,000 in September and was sentenced Monday to a suspended prison sentence of up to 96 months. If he violates the terms of his probation, Martinez will spend time in prison instead.
Prosecutors said Martinez was working for a larger criminal organization when he committed the crimes. he Describe his actions As “stupid”.
“I went into this to get something for nothing, and I’m paying the consequences,” Martinez said. Class.
Part of a larger conspiracy
The scam was uncovered in June when police received a call from Circa Casino and were told that an “unknown person” had requested an emergency payment of $320,000 to the fire department for “safety devices” over the phone.
An employee later delivered $1.2 million in three batches to locations around Las Vegas. Police said the employee believed she was speaking with hotel owner Derek Stevens, met with his attorney and also sent a text message to her manager.
Police later tracked down the car used in the robbery and searched the house where Martinez stayed. A search revealed a bundle of cash containing Circa-branded coin belts. Investigators recovered $850,000 and arrested Martinez, who later reached a plea deal with prosecutors.
A total of $314,000 remained unaccounted for.
Police believe Martinez was also part of a similar scam at the Eureka Casino Resort in Mesquite and the Golden Nugget in Laughlin. Police have not yet commented on the larger group involved in the casino theft plots.
There is also no information yet about the fate of the missing money. However, prosecutors suggested the fraud was part of a more elaborate, organized plan.
“He’s the businessman of a very sophisticated criminal organization,” Clark County Deputy Prosecutor Austin Beaumont said.
