Man arrested in Bellagio casino heist

Man arrested in $1.5-million heist at Bellagio casino

He is identified by police as Anthony M. Carleo, and it is reported he is the son of a Las Vegas judge. The December heist involved a motorcycle-riding bandit who waved a handgun at gamblers and stole high-value chips.

By Ashley Powers, Los Angeles Times

Reporting from Las Vegas — Police have arrested a man on suspicion of carrying out a heist at the Bellagio casino in which the robber brandished a gun at a craps table and darted out with $1.5 million in chips.

Police identified the suspect early Thursday as Anthony M. Carleo, 29, of Las Vegas. He was booked into Clark County Jail, however, under another name: Anthony M. Assad. His bail was set at $15,000, according to jail records, and he is scheduled to appear in court Monday.

The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported that he is the son of local municipal court Judge George Assad. The judge did not immediately return a call seeking comment.

In the wee hours of Dec. 14, a motorcycle-riding bandit entered the Bellagio wearing a white helmet. He waved a handgun at gamblers, police said, and dashed out of the casino within minutes with chips ranging in denomination from $100 to $25,000. Because the robber was armed, security guards did not give chase.

In the days after the heist, casino security experts said the thief's choice of bounty was foolish. Casinos track chips — in particular, high-dollar chips.

In late December, Bellagio owner MGM Resorts International announced it was discontinuing the casino's $25,000 chip and that gamblers had until April 22 to redeem them.

The Review-Journal reported that the heist suspect was arrested after allegedly trying to sell several high-value chips to undercover officers. Police have scheduled a news conference for Thursday afternoon.