Las Vegas Cop Accused of Stealing $164,000 in 3 Casino Heists
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A Las Vegas police officer is standing trial for allegedly stealing $164,000 in three different casino heists.
Caleb Rogers, 35, was arrested and charged in a criminal complaint on "one count of interference with commerce by robbery" and "one count of brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence," stated a from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Nevada.
According to allegations in the complaint, on February 27, 2022, Rogers entered a Las Vegas casino and “ran toward two employees in the sportsbook area and yelled: 'Get away from the money. I’ve got a gun. I will shoot you!’ ”
“Rogers fled when the employees triggered an alarm,” the complaint further alleged. “As Rogers ran toward the parking garage, a casino security officer tackled him. Rogers drew a revolver and, with his finger on the trigger, threatened: ‘I’m going to shoot you!’ "
"Security officers were able to disarm Rogers and restrain him until LVMPD officers arrived," the complaint continued. "The officers arrested Rogers and seized his firearm. Checking the revolver’s serial number, officers learned that it belonged to the LVMPD.”
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Investigators and prosecutors claimed that Rogers — a seven-year police officer for Las Vegas Metropolitan Police and an active-duty patrol officer at the time — stole more than $85,000 in two heists at casinos away from the Las Vegas Strip between November 2021 and January 2022, reported HuffPost.
He was stopped when he allegedly attempted to steal another $79,000 at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in February 2022, authorities added, per the outlet.
“In each of the robberies, the modus operandi was essentially the same,” an FBI agent alleged in a probable cause affidavit contained within a criminal complaint, according to the Las Vegas-Review Journal. “Additionally, although Rogers appeared to wear somewhat different items of clothing during each robbery, the style of clothing was consistent across all three robberies. Rogers also wore black latex gloves during each of the three robberies.”
Rogers “entered the casino wearing dark colored clothing, a full face mask and black latex gloves,” the FBI claimed, per the outlet.
In reply, Rogers' lawyer Richard Pocker claimed that prosecutors have little evidence linking his client to two of the heists, HuffPost reported. He also alleged that the FBI and the detectives from the Las Vegas police department forced two witnesses — one of them being Rogers’ brother — to point the finger at him as the robber to solve the cases.
Casino heists are extremely difficult to execute successfully, University of Nevada, Las Vegas professor Mehmet Erdem, who specializes in hotel and casino operations, told ABC News.
“The chances you get caught and are identified is very high,” he said, noting the number and quality of casino security cameras and the advancement in camera technology.
“A Metro detective asked Rogers whether there was anything that could have been done to prevent the robberies from happening,” the FBI agent said, per the Las Vegas-Review Journal. “Rogers responded ‘Nothing,' " the outlet added.
