Ex-Las Vegas police officer sentenced to prison for casino heists | US News
A former Las Vegas police officer was sentenced to 12 years in prison for robbing three different casinos in the city.
Caleb Rogers, 35, was Las Vegas Metropolitan Police (LVMPD) Officer when he pulled off three brazen heists at casinos between November 2021 and February 2022, netting him over $165,000.
Around 3.30am on November 12, 2021, a man pulled up to the Red Rock Resort in western Las Vegas in a pickup truck.
The man, who prosecutors identified as Rogers, was wearing dark clothes, latex gloves, and a black mask.
The robber walked directly up to the casino’s cashier cage and demanded they empty the register.
According to prosecutors, the cashier at the Red Rock ‘believed Rogers was armed due to Rogers’ body language,’ specifically because he ‘kept his hand in his pocket during the demand for money.’
The cashier complied and handed the assailant the money in the register. Rogers walked out of the casino with about $73,810, mostly in bundles of $20 and $100 bills.
About two months later, a robber using the exact same tactics struck another casino, the Aliante Casino on January 6 around 4.30am. This time, he walked away with roughly $11,500.
After reviewing security footage from both incidents, investigators realized the robber walked with a ‘unique gait,’ which they described as ‘kicking out his left foot and leg as he walked.’
The final robbery took place at the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino. This time, the robber walked up to the hotel’s sportsbook area around 6.56am.
According to prosecutors, he climbed over the sportsbook counter and yelled: ‘get away from the money. I’ve got a gun. I will shoot you!’
In the process he grabbed a 60-year-old woman with both hands, shoving her to the ground and yelling ‘this isn’t your money, it’s not worth losing your life over it!’
The cashiers managed to trigger an emergency alarm on the floor, but the robber noticed and climbed back over the counter with his loot in tow.
Security officers chased Rogers through the casino, even managing to tackle him, but the robber managed to pull out a revolver, brandishing it at the guards.
‘Are you willing to be shot over this?’ he asked them.
Security guards were able to eventually wrench the gun out of Rogers’ hands, and he was arrested by LVMPD officers. During the arrest, Rogers identified himself as an active-duty member of the same department.
The gun Rogers used was a eventually identified as his service weapon, and property of the LVMPD. They also discovered that he had filed occupational injury forms with the department for a knee injury in 2019.
Rogers was charged by federal prosecutors with robbery and brandishing a firearm during a violent crime.
His trial lasted over four days in July, where prosecutors portrayed him as a gambling addict who was in over his head in debt.
After searching his home, investigators found eviction paperwork, past-due notices, and demand letters from debt servicers.
jurors heard accounts from casino employees, cashiers, and finally Rogers’ own younger brother, Josiah Rogers.
According to Josiah, the two brothers had planned the initial heist using an encrypted messenger app.
The younger brother took about $30,000 from the original score and refused to participate in the other robberies, instead moving back to his hometown of Columbus, Ohio.
Josiah testified against his brother in exchange for immunity from prosecution. His testimony lasted over three hours.
Jurors delivered a guilty verdict on July 14. Rogers was facing up to 22 years in prison for the three heists.
District Judge Andrew Gordon chose not to give Rogers a full sentence, noting his gambling addiction and seven years of service as a police officer.
Rogers received a 12-year prison sentence, in addition to three years on supervised release. He was also ordered to pay $85,310 in restitution to the casinos.
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