Casino Crime Roundup: Vegas Hotel Room ‘Massage’ Turns Into Armed Robbery

Posted on: September 20, 2024, 06:56h. 

Last updated on: September 20, 2024, 08:58h.

Ed Silverstein @casinoorgedsilv Read More

Expertise: Legal, Tribal Gaming.

A suspect remains in jail on Friday after she gave a man a massage at the Planet Hollywood Las Vegas Resort & Casino. It ended with her pulling out a knife and stealing his $50K Rolex watch, police revealed.

The incident took place on Feb. 9, 2023, when Jessica Thompson, 24, also known as “Tiffany,” went with a man to his hotel room at 2:45 a.m. to provide him a “massage,” according to Las Vegas TV station KLAS.

Upon entering the room, the man put his pricey gold watch in a hotel room safe.

When Thompson was finished giving the massage, the man took a bath. She was alone in the room and opened the safe, police said.

Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) officers were alerted about the robbery and reviewed footage from hotel surveillance cameras. LVMPD officers were assisted in identifying Thompson by a security guard from another casino hotel, police said.

Later, the robbery victim was able to identify Thompson during a photo lineup, police said.

On Sunday, Thompson was charged with robbery with the use of a deadly weapon and grand larceny of more than $25K but less than $100K. She was booked at the Clark County Detention Center on those charges, along with charges stemming from a separate warrant, authorities said.

Guns, Meth Located in Gambling Joint

A raid on an illegal gambling den in Fresno, Calif. on Wednesday resulted in the seizure of illegal drugs and guns.

The operation was being run in a residence where officers found three firearms, including a P80 9mm, a Keltec 9mm, and a Sig Sauer P238. One of the weapons had been stolen.

During the search, seven slot machines and five pounds of suspected methamphetamine (meth) were also seized, according to Fresno TV station KMPH.

Two suspects, Khamphonh Phaphonh, 48, and Kevin Pech, 28, were charged.

Phaphonh was arrested for possession of a controlled substance with a firearm, possession of a firearm by a felon or narcotic user, possession of a controlled substance for sale, possession of a large capacity magazine, and receiving or concealing stolen property, police said. Pech was arrested for a parole issue, authorities added.

Dog Strangled at Hollywood Casino

A man was arrested this week for allegedly killing his dog at Ohio’s Hollywood Casino Toledo.

Michael Baldwin, 38, of Westland, Mich., tortured and strangled the animal on Wednesday, police said.

The animal’s death was videotaped on casino surveillance cameras. Baldwin was arrested on a charge of prohibitions concerning companion animals, according to Toledo TV station WTVG.

The lifeless animal was found on casino property. There’s no word on why Baldwin allegedly killed the dog.