Las Vegas Strip Murder Suspects Held Without Bail After Two Fatal Shootings
A pair of men charged in two Las Vegas Strip homicides on Friday remained behind bars this weekend. One New Year’s Eve shooting was at Palace Station Casino. The other was at Fashion Show Mall. Both were in parking garages. The suspects were identified as Jordan Ruby, 18, and Jesani Carter, 20, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Each was charged with murder, and each is expected to appear in court on Tuesday. More charges are likely, Las Vegas Metro Police added in a statement. The two suspects could be linked to other crimes in the region, police suspect. “Detectives are currently reviewing their connection to other events,” Metro police said Saturday about the duo. “These investigations are still ongoing and additional charges will be forthcoming.”
US Virgin Islands Casino Control Commission Member Guilty of Embezzlement
Barnes was convicted by the jury after just six hours of deliberation. She had been charged by the federal government with conspiracy to steal from programs, receiving federal funds in contravention of US laws, receipt of stolen government money, filing false tax returns in violation of Virgin Islands law, and receiving federal funds in violations of US Law. Evidence proved that Barnes colluded with Violet Anne Golden, former VI Casino Control Commission Chair, in a scheme to steal federal and local money, as well as file a false tax return. Evidence revealed that Barnes received a $65,000 contract between April and June 2015. However, it is not clear for what purpose the contract was. Evidence also revealed that Barnes received $568,104 in total, including more than $113,000 in travel, perks and vehicle expenses. Jill Koster, the lead prosecutor in the case, stated that Barnes knew “what was in Golden’s wallet” during opening statements. This was referring to the hundreds and thousands of dollars of taxpayer funds that were said to have been spent at the time of the crimes.
Police Chief: Violence concern with gambling businesses operating illegally
Police have long investigated illegal gambling and 8-liners. In May of 2020 a 45-year-old woman was arrested at Lucky’s Game Room on the same charge and bonded out. And in March this year police issued 20 citations to eight game rooms in the city. By definition, a gaming machine commonly referred to as an “8-Liner,” is any coin-operated contrivance designed solely for amusement if the machine rewards the player exclusively with non-cash merchandise or a representation of value redeemable for those items, that have a wholesale value available from a single play of the device of not more than ten times the amount charged to play or $5, whichever is less.
It’s been said these types of illegal gambling business leads to crime, and police say they are not good for the city. “They have a high probability of getting robbed, because criminals know they are illegally paying out money and so they know there is cash money on site,” PAPD Det. Sadie Guedry said. “When businesses are robbed, this increases the chance of people getting hurt. Where there is illegal gambling, there is more than likely other illegal activity going on.” In addition, senior citizens are being misled, she said, believing these places are like legal casinos.
Larry Wayne Inge, whose gambling addiction led him to rob 19 stores across two states in the course of 51 days, was sentenced Wednesday to eight years in prison. Inge testified in Roanoke’s federal court that his crime spree began Dec. 1, 2019, after he had depleted his life savings, maxed out credit cards and spent borrowed money so he could continue to place bets on televised football games. That evening, the 40-year-old from Danville walked into the Valero convenience store on Philpott Road in South Boston, wearing a skull cap and bandana and carrying a blue pillowcase. Keeping one hand in his jacket pocket as if he had a gun, he demanded all the money that was in the cash register. After he had wagered that cash away, he robbed the Food Lion on Philpott Road in Henry County a few weeks later, then the Moore’s Country Store in Lynchburg on Dec. 29. Although Inge was never armed and no one was injured, “he put everyone in danger,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Rachel Swartz said in asking for a 10-year sentence. Each time he waked into a store, Inge testified, “I realized that what I did, even before I did it, was unacceptable.” But by then, he said, the urge to place bets using an online gaming site was uncontrollable. After the money from one robbery was gone, “the very next day, I would be in the same situation.”
Arizona man gets prison time for casino sex attack on tribal land
A 26-year-old Arizona man who admitted sexually assaulting a woman at a Fort Mojave Indian Reservation resort-casino has been sentenced to eight years and four months in prison. A federal prosecutor said Richard Anthony Hernandez also was sentenced Friday in U.S. District Court in Las Vegas to 15 years of supervised release after prison. Hernandez’s defense attorney didn’t immediately comment on his client’s behalf. A prosecutor says the woman is Native American. She was hospitalized for multiple face and head injuries and loss of consciousness after the September 2018 attack near near Laughlin and the Colorado River in Nevada. The case was prosecuted in federal court because the crime occurred on tribal land.
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