Armed Thieves Accused of Preying on Victors of Casinos, Facing Potential Lifetime Imprisonment
Article:
Date: May 9, 2025, 8:21 AM
Last Updated: May 9, 2025, 8:21 AM
Corey Levitan Read More
Street Scoundrels Crime Highway Robberies Gaming Las Vegas Myths Debunked
Two scallywags from LA's South Gate nabbed on Friday, Juan Gabriel Gonzalez, 22, and Dereck Nathan Lopez, reportedly swindled over a dozen lucky casino patrons at gunpoint on highways.
The pair faked identities and infiltrated various SoCal casinos, searching for gamblers on a hot streak. After spotting their targets, they'd hang around and strike up friendships. As the winners left the casinos, our two heroes would pounce on them, attacking their vehicles with guns and shattering windows, all in the name of demanding their hard-earned cash.
This scenario repeated itself at least 15 times, according to the U.S. Justice Department. On occasions where there was a casino rush, these crooks and their comrades would rob up to three casinos in a single night, netting well over $130K. (It's worth noting that the Commerce Casino & Hotel in Commerce and the Parkwest Bicycle Casino in Bell Gardens were the only casinos mentioned by name in their arrest report.)
One unfortunate female gamer caught on an unnamed casino's security footage was celebrating a high-five with Lopez an hour before he, along with his accomplices, robbed her of $21K. (Ironically, she didn't seem to notice that he was planning to knock her over.)
The deceitful duo faces ten felony charges each, including multiple counts of hindering commerce by robbery, conspiracy, and using guns during violent crimes. Lopez, due to his past conviction for grand theft in 2023, was also hit with a weapon charge for being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition.
If they're found guilty of all offenses, these two rascals could face life in prison.
Additional Insights:- The total amount stolen was at least $274,600 in cash, casino chips, and other property [2][4][5].- Other named casinos included in their repeated crimes were the Hollywood Park Casino in Inglewood and Pechanga Resort Casino in Temecula [6].- Some victims reported receiving phone calls from scammers pretending to be law enforcement or casino representatives, attempting to ascertain their location. These phone calls were a part of the elaborate scheme to lure victims out of their homes and make them easy targets [6].
The views and opinions expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of Corey Levitan or his affiliates.
- The armed robbery spree on highways involved Juan Gabriel Gonzalez and Dereck Nathan Lopez, who were pretenders infiltrating South California casinos.
- The duo's modus operandi was to target gamblers who were on a winning streak, befriending them, and later assaulting their vehicles with guns to demand cash.
- In the past 15 incidents, the pair, along with accomplices, reportedly robbed more than a dozen casinos, including the Commerce Casino & Hotel in Commerce and the Parkwest Bicycle Casino in Bell Gardens, netting over $130K.
- In a bizarre turn of events, one victim, a female gamer, was seen on security footage celebrating a high-five with Lopez an hour before being robbed by him and his accomplices.
- Lopez and Gonzalez now face ten felony charges each, including hindering commerce by robbery, conspiracy, using guns during violent crimes, and Lopez faces an additional charge for being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition due to his 2023 grand theft conviction.
- If found guilty of all offenses, the duo could face life in prison, as their crimes are part of the casino-and-gambling genre under crime-and-justice, as reported in the general news.
- Other casinos, such as the Hollywood Park Casino in Inglewood and Pechanga Resort Casino in Temecula, were also part of their repeated robberies, and some victims received phone calls from suspected scammers pretending to be law enforcement or casino representatives, in an elaborate scheme to locate victims and increase chances of successful robbery.
