Caleb Rogers, a Las Vegas police officer, was sentenced to 12 years in federal prison for his involvement in multiple casino robberies, in which he took around $165,000, including one in which he displayed his department-issued firearm. Prior to his sentencing, Rogers, who has been behind bars for over 20 months and placed on unpaid suspension, expressed regret. After a brief confrontation with casino security police close to the Las Vegas Strip in February 2022, Rogers, 35, was found guilty of displaying his service weapon during his arrest. One security guard was so shocked by his actions that he made the decision to resign from his position and seek employment elsewhere.
Judge Andrew Gordon of the United States District Court acknowledged that Rogers had battled financial hardships and an addiction to gambling. Even with the seriousness of his offences, the judge gave him credit for his previous community work.
In his recommendation for leniency, Rogers’ attorney, Richard Pocker, highlighted his client’s support of homeless people, contributions to a family ministry, and his prior employment as an emergency medical technician prior to his 2015 hiring as a Las Vegas police officer. Pocker stated that a person’s status as a police officer shouldn’t be used as justification for more severe penalties.
According to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, an ongoing internal inquiry will decide Rogers’ employment status.
Judge Gordon gave Rogers a sentence that was shorter than the maximum of 22 years and included three years of supervised release following his jail stay. In addition, he mandated that Rogers reimburse the casinos he targeted for $85,310.
The judge was disappointed in Rogers’ choice to turn to armed robbery rather than getting treatment for his gambling problem, but she also recognised his prior community service. Beginning in November 2021, Rogers conducted casino heists while working as a patrol officer. In July, a jury found him guilty of all three robberies plus an additional charge of displaying a firearm, resulting in a mandatory seven-year sentence.
arguing that there is insufficient evidence from the government to connect Rogers to two of the robberies, Rogers and his attorney want to appeal the convictions and sentence to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco.
Prosecutors painted Rogers as a debt-ridden gambling addict who became more and more desperate during his trial. They said that he enlisted the help of his younger brother to help loot a casino in the affluent northwest Las Vegas neighbourhood of Summerlin. Under the protection of immunity from prosecution, his brother Josiah Rogers testified and revealed specifics of the November 2021 heist at Red Rock Casino. He explained how they communicated via coded signals as they planned and carried out the pre-dawn theft. The $73,810 in pilfered money was then dispersed around the dining table of their shared residence.
