Summary:
- An employee gave Gutierrez over $1 million for fire safety equipment.
- The defendant has been charged with theft of over $100,000.
- The incident occurred on June 17.
An unusual story has just come to light in Las Vegas, with the Circa Hotel & Casino in the downtown area hit by a scam artist. Erik Gutierrez, age 23, was charged with theft of over $100,000 after he posed as the casino’s owner and was given over $1 million by an employee. The records of the incident have just now come to light, providing details of the scam.
Taking Over $1m from Circa
How does one walk into a Nevada casino, impersonate the owner, and get away with more than $1 million? Confidence? The twenty-three-year-old came to the casino earlier this month and told a casino cage employee that he was the owner. He asked for $320,000 for an emergency payment to give to the fire department.
The cage supervisor was interviewed by police and stated they received a phone call from someone who said they were the hotel owner. The person requested the money to pay the fire department to check the location’s fire extinguishers. They would also need to be paid for additional safety devices.
The cage supervisor then brought the money in four payments to a person at different locations, not inside the casino. The payments totaled $1,170,000, with the largest single payment being $500,000. The employee said she spoke to the individual who said he was the hotel owner on the phone and texting her manager simultaneously.
Police reported in court documents that the employee thought she was meeting the casino owner’s attorney to make the payments.
Finding the Subject
Detectives in the case were able to work quickly, as the incident took place on June 17, and they have already made an arrest. Police tracked a vehicle they thought was involved in the theft and discovered the registered owner was Gutierrez’s aunt.
Police waited and watched the home and saw another car arrive with Gutierrez and another man inside. The car was searched, and no money was found. Police also obtained a search warrant for the home and found a large bag of money that was bundled with writing that stated Circa on it.
Gutierrez was arrested the day after the scam took place, and police were eventually able to recover around $850,000. The remaining $314,000 is still missing. The judge in the case set bail at $25,000 and told Gutierrez to stay away from the Circa Casino.
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