FBI Stats Shine Spotlight On Rising Crime In This Southern Nevada City

If you watch, read, or listen to news reports, you know that crime is on the rise across the U.S.A. However, the media seems to cover only the most sensational crimes. Furthermore, radio, TV, and social media also focus on our nation’s larger cities like New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and San Francisco. With that in mind, a recent study shines the spotlight on crime rates in five mid-size American cities. According to FBI statistics, crime in Henderson is on the rise.

Basically, the group “Our America” takes a look at FBI crime statistics for Atlanta, Pittsburgh, Tucson, Milwaukee, and Henderson. The focus of their report is on the years 2019 to 2022. Generally, that time frame includes the year just before the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic until last year.

As mentioned before, crime rates have risen all across the country. But specifically, here in Nevada, they are increasing as well. With the spotlight on Henderson, the stats are grim. For example, violent crime reports in 2022 hit the highest number in ten years. In fact, violent crime increases occur in every year since 2019. Henderson police stats show 543 violent crimes in 2019, 682 in 2020, and then 772 in 2021.

Here's another alarming statistic: robberies in Henderson spiked considerably during the first seven months of 2022 compared to the same period of 2021. As a matter of fact, the increase in robberies soared by 91% during that time frame. That huge increase actually caused the FBI to contact Henderson police to make sure they were reading the correct statistics. Unfortunately, those numbers are correct.

Of course, the group that began this study did so for a reason. They, along with many Americans, are fed up with rising crime rates. So, what do they propose to help alleviate these problems?

All things considered, “Our America” wants local and state politicians to act. In general, they want district attorneys to get tough on crime. Here are some of their solutions quoted directly from their report:

Their report also goes on to offer solutions on how to recruit more police officers, so cities have a larger police presence. You can view all of their findings by clicking here.

Casino robberies in Las Vegas happen. But sometimes, they almost seem unreal.

Imagine trying to swindle nearly $770,000 from your job to ride private jets for no reason. Or, posing as a fake casino owner and managing to steal about $100,000 as a 23-year-old.

Well, these are real-life events that have occurred in the crazy environment of Las Vegas casinos.

The lucrative nature of a casino inspires movies, TV shows and sometimes crime. And at times, it can be a crime that almost seems like a thriller movie.

Yes. Crime can find its ways through casino doors. But, I guess this is what makes the whole culture of gaming more exciting in comparison to an insurance office.

From illicit meet-ups, drug trafficking and plain old robbery, the casino can be a magnet to those who are looking for some quick cash.

This past week, officials charged a former employee at the ARIA Resort & Casino for allegedly stealing more than $770,000, according to 8 News Now.

According to the 8 News Now Article, a 38-year-old employee named Brandon Rashaad Johnson was a hotel operations manager since 2013. He would create fraudulent room reservation, charge his credit card then refund the money back on to the same card. So, he allegedly created this convoluted system that allowed him to afford luxury brands like Louis Vuitton, he flew on private jets, and seemed to enjoy having spa visits, attending shows, and he even purchased a home.

Channel 3 reports that he's facing at least 13 charges and, "Court records indicate Johnson is being held at Clark County Detention Center on $100,000 bail. If he posts bond, he would be released on high-level electronic monitoring."

And this story is pretty tame compared to the other ones in casino history. Plus, let's not forget the time when a former Las Vegas Metro Officer robbed Red Rock, Aliante and the sportsbook at The Rio, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.

We may not understand why people decide to rob casinos with -- what seems like -- half-baked plans or ridiculous plots. But, they make for great stories. Scroll down below for some of the wildest casino and hotel robberies in Las Vegas.

Would you believe us if we told you that a 23-year-old basically used social engineering to fool casino employees that HE was the actual owner? Well, this actually happened on June 17, 2023. Erik Gutierrez, now 24 posed as a casino owner by calling the Circa Hotel & Casino's cage. According to 8 News Now, Gutierrez basically lied to the casino workers and said he needed payment after the "fire department" did an inspection of the fire extinguishers.

"The payments totaled $314,000, $350,000, and $500,000, plus three smaller deposits, resulting in a loss of $1,170,000 to the hotel," the article from 8 News Now states. Police were able to track down Gutierrez and caught him red-handed. What's miraculous is that he was only 23 years old when he pulled off this heist. We still love the Circa, and we feel bad that this happened to them and to the employee!

We imagine that robbing a casino would take more than just a "simple plan." It probably requires many different solutions, possibilities and thinking. But, one 25-year-old man decided to rob the casino cages at Resorts World Las Vegas and The Venetian Las Vegas, according to Casino.org. Zubaid Ibrahim Al Jarmi robbed Resorts World in November of 2022, and he robbed The Venetian Las Vegas in January 2020. He used the same tactic both times, which involved a note. 

Essentially, he went to the casinos' cages and handed the teller a note with most likely a threatening message, according to KTNV. He was serving probation for the robbery that happened in 2020. But according to the Nevada Department of Corrections inamte search, it looks like he's serving prison time in High Desert State Prison.

"Give me the stacks or I will shoot you," an alleged robber told a worker, Fox 5 reported.

In April 2023, six casinos were robbed: Gold Coast, Green Valley Ranch, Silverton, Rampart, Palace Station and the M Resort. Fox 5 reported that police ended up arresting D’Shante Styles, 33 for these robberies. Like the one stated before, this man also used a note with threating language to coax casino cage workers to give him money. One note from a robbery said, “Put the 10 stacks in the bag or I will shoot!” What a great use of language. How did he get caught? Well, DNA evidence ultimately linked the suspect with the string of robberies.

In 2017, a group of "well-dressed" men burglarized Tēsorīni jewelry store in the luxurious Bellagio Las Vegas, CNN reported. At least one of the assailants was wearing a pig mask while robbing the jewelry store. This scene seems almost "Purge" like. The pig mask adds another layer of horror to this incident.

Channel 3 reported that the man who allegedly donned the pig mask was a 21-year-old named Sebastian Gonzalez. But in a twist of events, the alleged suspect said that he was forced to partake in the robbery after, "He said people in Mexico threatened to hurt his family if he didn't follow their instructions to be the group's lookout." 

This is absolutely despicable. A 26-year-old man named Cameron James Kennedy robbed the New York-New York in 2018, the Las Vegas Review-Journal wrote. However, he painted his face black and robbed the casino cage, which has many media outlets saying he used "blackface."

He allegedly robbed the casino out of $23,000 at gunpoint. The Daily Mail further reported that Kennedy was under federal supervision for previous bank robberies. And in fact, he cut his GPS ankle monitor just hours before committing his New York-New York robbery.

Larry Martino is the long-time afternoon drive personality on 96.3 KKLZ. The views and opinions expressed in this blog are those of Larry Martino and not necessarily those of Beasley Media Group, LLC.

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