Bellagio Robber in Custody

The Bellagio Casino and Resort

Robber was staying at the Bellagio at the time of arrest

in Las Vegas, NV was robbed on December 14th and around $1.5 Million in chips were removed from the casino by a assailant wearing a motorcycle outfit and helmet.  We now know who the robber was after police arrested Anthony Carleo on Wednesday in connection with the robberies.

Essentially, it appeared that Carleo was attempting to sell of the chips on popular poker forum TwoPlusTwo.  Under the handle of “OceanSpray 25″, he contacted users via private message in an attempt to sell the chips.  One of the members contacted the authorities and undercover officers made the arrest on Wednesday when Carleo sold them five $25,000 chips.

It also appears that the robber had turned around and returned to the casino and was a regular gambler at the casino.  After the robbery, he lost over $105,000 at the Bellagio.  He also stayed at the resort for over a week in January in a room provided by the casino free of charge.

$900,000 in chips were recovered by police out of the $1.5 Million stolen.  Bail for Carleo was set at $15,000 on charges of felony armed robbery and burglary charges.  Charges will be reviewed in court on Friday.

Carleo is the son of Las Vegas Municipal Court Judge George Assad.  He issued a statement claiming he and his family were “devastated and heartbroken to see my son arrested under these circumstances.”  He could not comment further on the matter due to his status as a judge but did say that he felt that as a prosecutor and judge, he believe that people that broke the law had to be held accountable.

Carleo had run up several hundred thousand dollars in gambling debts and it is thought that the debts were among the reasons for the heist.  The only thing that may save Carleo from going away for an extended period of time is the fact that stealing $1.5 Million in poker chips is not the same as stealing the same amount in cash money.  This is due to the fact that the chips can only be used at the Bellagio.

More on this story will develop in the upcoming months and we will keep you up to date on the outcome.

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