$352,000 stolen at Grand River Casino

Posted on: August 19, 2024, 02:47 am.

Last updated on: August 19, 2024, 02:47.

New details have emerged about two men charged in connection with the alleged theft of $352,000 from a South Dakota tribe's gambling operations.

According to South Dakota television station KELO, Roberto Carlos Gonzales Miranda and Roberto Orellana were recently charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to commit theft at a casino on Indian land and transportation of stolen money.

The pair carried out a break-in at the Grand River Casino in Mobridge, South Dakota in February.

The plot began when a woman called the casino. She reached the manager of a cashier's counter and got his cell phone number.

A man answered the phone and said he was a collection agent for the United States Postal Service. He claimed the casino owed $700,000. If the money was not paid immediately, additional fees or fines would be due, the report said.

While the two were still talking on the phone, a third suspect sent a text message. He claimed to be the cage manager's superior.

According to KELO, the so-called supervisor ordered the casino employee to “empty the safe and deposit the cash at a Bitcoin ATM in Aberdeen, South Dakota.”

The casino employee took $352,000 from the safe and got into a car with the money. The person then drove to Aberdeen and was instructed to meet other people in a parking lot.

The two planned to meet at a gas station called Dakota Sunset in Mitchell, SD.

Miranda allegedly took the loot from the employee. Orellana received $1,600, authorities said.

The casino is owned and operated by the Standing Rock Sioux tribe.

Casino jackpot winner robbed, suspect caught

A man was arrested in Tulsa, Oklahoma on Friday after winning money at a casino the day before.

The suspect, Terry Brown, was charged with armed robbery with a firearm after being convicted as a felon.

The incident began when Brown allegedly pulled out a firearm and robbed the victim, stealing an undisclosed amount of cash he won at the unnamed gambling establishment, as well as car keys and a phone, according to Tulsa television station KTUL.

The robbery occurred around 6 p.m. Friday in a residential building near 44th Street and Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard.

A second suspect accompanied Brown when he robbed the victim, police said. He is believed to still be at large.

The two suspects were filmed by a surveillance camera, the report said.

The victim's sister-in-law reported the robbery to the Tulsa Police Department (TPD). She apparently gave police a description of the getaway vehicle and the suspects.

A short time later, a TPD helicopter searched for the men. A vehicle matching the sister-in-law's description was spotted and later stopped on North Quaker Avenue.

A passenger in the vehicle also matched the description of the robbery suspect, police said. He was later identified as Terry Brown.

Brown was arrested for this crime. His case has been turned over to local prosecutors. If convicted, he faces prison time.

It is not immediately known on what charges he was previously convicted.