The Strangest Crimes to Ever Hit the Las Vegas Strip

Whatever happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas, right? That isn’t the case for some of the more notorious crimes that have come from the iconic city.  

There is a lot happening in Las Vegas almost every day, and it can cause someone like me, who is a timid country bumpkin, to retreat back into his hovel. 

These are only some of the weirdest and notorious crimes reported out of Las Vegas. 

2000: Bellagio Cashier Robbery 

Imagine you’re working the cashier cage counter at the famous Bellagio. You’re going about your day when suddenly two men dressed in body armor jump over the counter and steal $160,000 in cash and chips. You’d probably be either scared or just weirded out right? 

This situation played out at the beginning of the millennium with three men listed as the perpetrators. Oscar Sanchez Cisneros, Jose Manuel Vigoa, and Luis Suarez were tied to this robbery as well as several other casino robberies across the city. 

MGM Resorts installed bars around its cashier cages across their resorts on the Las Vegas Strip as a result of the robberies. 

2005: Attack on Las Vegas Homeless 

A series of deadly attacks on the homeless in Las Vegas were reported from 2005 to 2011. These attacks started in December 2005 with the death of a panhandler begging for change. The common factors between all the killings were the cause of death, and the location. 

Each of the homeless were shot to death by a small caliber weapon on or near bus benches. Two survivors were reported across the six reported cases. Officials say the case remains unsolved. 

2010: $1.5 Million in Chips Stolen from Bellagio 

A lot seems to happen at the Bellagio. In December 2010, a man driving a motorcycle walked into the hotel and casino still wearing his helmet and robbed a craps table at gunpoint. 

The man, later identified as Anthony Carleo, went by the moniker of Biker Bandit. Carleo reportedly walked away with $1.5 million in chips, but he wasn’t able to cash them after escaping from the scene. 

Undercover police officers managed to negotiate with Carleo to trade the chips for cash, but he was arrested instead for his crimes. 

You can read more of the crimes reported from Vegas in this article from Gabriel L. Grasso Criminal Defense Lawyer.