Monarch Casino $500K Theft Leads to Second Colorado Arrest
Posted on: May 23, 2023, 09:46h.
Last updated on: May 23, 2023, 10:13h.
A second suspect identified as Juan Gutierrez-Zambrano was placed in custody earlier this month for March’s historic heist at the Monarch Casino Resort Spa Black Hawk in Colorado.
Gutierrez-Zambrano, 31, was apprehended on May 2 and charged with theft of $100K to $1 million, according to court documents. He was booked in a local jail and is being held on a bond of $525K.
A cashier, Sabrina Eddy, 44, was arrested previously on a theft charge in connection with the heist. She allegedly stole 10 bricks of $50K each from the gaming property’s vault, according to Colorado TV station KUSA.
Eddy reportedly put the loot into boxes, covered it with rags, taped it shut, and placed the boxes in a minivan, authorities said. She then drove away from a parking garage at the casino. She then took the money to the parking lot of St. Anthony’s Hospital in Lakewood, Colo where she handed it over to another person who was identified as an “attorney.”
The so-called attorney later was identified as Gutierrez-Zambrano, according to the Colorado Bureau of Investigation. Eddy was arrested a short time after the theft and booked at the Gilpin County jail before eventually being released on a personal recognizance bond.
Eddy appeared in Colorado court on Monday and declined to comment on the charge when asked for a statement by a reporter, according to KUSA.
Initially, Eddy claimed she took the money because she was following orders from her casino supervisors, identified as the gaming property’s head of operations and a cage manager. If she didn’t take the cash, the casino would be in a “breach of contract,” Eddy claimed she was told.
Polygraph Test
Eddy voluntarily took a polygraph test, which investigators said indicated evidence of deception. After additional questioning, Eddy “finally broke down and began crying, and provided an entirely different account of what occurred with the theft,” an affidavit revealed, according to KUSA.
The affidavit further states that Eddy told investigators “unknown associates of her deceased former husband had contacted her and forced her to engage in the theft after levying threats against her family members by email and on phone calls.”
During their investigation, police reviewed surveillance video in the casino which allegedly shows her stealing the money. Investigators reportedly used traffic cameras, vehicle registration, cell phone records, and an oil change receipt to connect Gutierrez-Zambrano to the case, according to the affidavit.
The amount of money stolen is believed to be the largest ever swiped in a casino theft in Colorado.