Caleb M. Rogers

Caleb M. Rogers, was sentenced to 12 years in federal prison for robbing the casinos and brandishing a department-issued gun during one of the heists.

Former Las Vegas Police Officer Sentenced in 3 Casino Heists

Caleb M. Rogers, was sentenced to 12 years in federal prison for robbing the casinos and brandishing a department-issued gun during one of the heists.

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  Security camera footage showing Caleb Rogers during a robbery at the Aliante Casino & Hotel in North Las Vegas last year.Credit...Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department via AP, File)

  
  


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  A former Las Vegas police officer has been sentenced to 12 years in federal prison for stealing more than $160,000 in three casino heists, including one in which he brandished his service firearm, according to court documents.

  
  
  

  The man, Caleb M. Rogers, 35, was an officer with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department when he robbed the Red Rock, Aliante and Rio casinos between November 2021 and February 2022, each time wearing black latex gloves, dark clothing and a mask, prosecutors said. Mr. Rogers was low on funds because of a gambling addiction, prosecutors said during the trial, according to The Las Vegas Review-Journal.

  
  
  

  Mr. Rogers was sentenced Tuesday after being found guilty of three counts of robbery and one count of brandishing a firearm and was ordered to pay more than $85,000 in restitution, according to the documents, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada.

  
  
  

  According to prosecutors, the first robbery began in the early hours of Nov. 12, 2021, when Mr. Rogers, driving a pickup truck that had been “covered with what appeared to be trash bags,” arrived at the Red Rock Casino Resort in western Las Vegas.

  
  
  

  Dressed in the dark attire and mask that would become his signature, Mr. Rogers walked directly to the casino’s cashier cage. He then demanded money, all while keeping his hand in his pocket, prosecutors said, to make the cashier believe that he was concealing a weapon. She handed over around $73,810, most of it bundled in $20 and $100 bills, according to prosecutors. Mr. Rogers then left the resort, but the security cameras captured a telling detail: He kicked his left foot out while walking and did not seem able to run.

  
  
  

  Several weeks later, in the early hours of Jan. 6, 2022, Mr. Rogers arrived at the Aliante Casino & Hotel in North Las Vegas, according to prosecutors. This time, he drove a white Volkswagen hatchback, which he parked in a handicapped space before walking to the cashier with his hand in his pocket, they said. The cashier handed over about $11,500. Security footage revealed the same unusual walk.

  
  


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  The next month, Mr. Rogers made a third attempt — this time at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino near the Las Vegas Strip. Prosecutors said he entered the casino in the early hours of Feb. 27, 2022, demanding that two employees hand over the money they were loading into drawers in a sports book area, and then “climbed over the counter, grabbed one of the women by her shoulders with both hands and shoved her to the floor.” After other employee set off an alarm, Mr. Rogers began running but was tackled by security personnel, according to the documents.

  
  
  

  He then brandished a silver firearm, holding his finger inside the trigger guard, and threatened to fire it, according to the documents. Mr. Rogers was eventually restrained and taken into police custody, where he identified himself to officers using his police identification number, prosecutors said. The revolver, which Mr. Rogers had partially covered with a yellow sticker, was also identified as belonging to the department. He also had a black drawstring bag containing $78,898.

  
  
  

  Prosecutors said that in a later interview, Mr. Rogers was asked whether there was anything that could have been done to prevent the robberies. He responded, “Nothing.”

  
  
  

  Neither Mr. Roger’s lawyer nor the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department could be immediately reached for comment on Tuesday evening. Mr. Rogers has been on unpaid suspension and in jail since his arrest, The Associated Press reported.

  
  


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  https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/17/us/casino-heist-las-vegas-police.html