Black Hawk casino heist is largest in Colorado history
BLACK HAWK, Colo. (KRDO) -- The largest casino heist in Colorado history happened earlier this month at the Monarch Casino.
According to our news partners in Denver, investigators say a cashier walked out of the casino with $500,000 in cash on the morning of March 12.
In an arrest affidavit, a Division of Gaming investigation said 44-year-old Sabrina Eddy was captured on video reaching into the vault of the casino's cage and grabbing bricks of $50,000 each. Shen then put the stacks into a box, covered them with rags, and taped the box shut. She then walked into the parking garage and left in a minivan, according to the affidavit.
Investigators said she came back an hour later and grabbed four more bricks bills. In total, the affidavit says she left with a half million dollars.
Our news partners interviewed the former head of the Colorado Division of Gaming, Ron Kammerzell, who said, "For something like that to happen, it would’ve had to defeat a number of different levels of casino controls within the property." Kammerzell added that he'd never heard of a casino theft of this magnitude since gaming became legal in the state in 1991.
Monarch Casino confirmed a theft occurred, but would not give any further details, citing the ongoing investigation.
The affidavit says Eddy insisted she did nothing wrong and said she thought casino bosses told her to take out the cash. She told investigators she received a call on the casino's phone from a man purporting to be Monarch's head of operations. He and another man, who she believed was a cage manager while exchanging texts with him, told her the casino was having a problem with a UPS order and needed the money or the casino would "be in breach of contract," she told investigators, according to the affidavit.
She said the two men told her the funds would be delivered to a lawyer. She brought the box to St. Anthony's Hospital, where a man came to her door and took it at approximately 4:36 in the morning, the affidavit said. When she tried to call back the men who instructed her to take out the money, she told investigators there was no answer.
"At this time, she called the casino to inform them that she was returning to the casino," the affidavit said.
The affidavit indicated Eddy told the casino she had taken money off property and "thought she might be arrested." She told investigators she was aware of casino procedures, but said she didn't follow them because she was instructed by a "Casino Member" to do otherwise.
"Eddy continued to state she did nothing wrong, but she was just following orders she believed had [been] put out by the casino," the affidavit said.
Kammerzell said the Division of Gaming would investigate the theft -- and the policies and procedures at Monarch that allowed it to happen, according to our news partners.
Eddy was booked into the Gilpin County jail later in the day on March 12 on suspicion of theft. She has not made bond.
