Las Vegas man appears in court in Bellagio heist
Anthony M. Carleo waits for court to begin Monday, Feb. 7, 2011 in Las Vegas. Carleo made his first court appearance since his arrest in a dramatic heist that authorities say netted $1.5 million in casino chips from the Bellagio resort on the Las Vegas Strip. The twenty-nine-year-old was not asked to enter a plea Monday to armed robbery, assault and burglary charges in the Dec. 14 heist. A judge scheduled another hearing for Feb. 23. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)
Anthony M. Carleo waits for court to begin Monday, Feb. 7, 2011 in Las Vegas. Carleo made his first court appearance since his arrest in a dramatic heist that authorities say netted $1.5 million in casino chips from the Bellagio resort on the Las Vegas Strip. The twenty-nine-year-old was not asked to enter a plea Monday to armed robbery, assault and burglary charges in the Dec. 14 heist. A judge scheduled another hearing for Feb. 23. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)
FILE - This police booking file photo provided on Thursday Feb. 3, 2011 by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department shows Anthony M. Carleo, 29, from Las Vegas. Carleo is scheduled to face a Las Vegas justice of the peace on Monday, Feb. 7, 2011 on armed robbery and burglary charges in the Dec. 14 heist that authorities say netted $1.5 million in casino chips from the posh Bellagio resort on the Las Vegas Strip. (AP Photo/Las Vegas Police Department, File)
Anthony M. Carleo, left, talks with his attorney William Terry before the start of court, Monday, Feb. 7, 2011 in Las Vegas. Carleo made his first court appearance since his arrest in a dramatic heist that authorities say netted $1.5 million in casino chips from the Bellagio resort on the Las Vegas Strip. The twenty-nine-year-old was not asked to enter a plea Monday to armed robbery, assault and burglary charges in the Dec. 14 heist. A judge scheduled another hearing for Feb. 23. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)
LAS VEGAS — A tipster told Las Vegas police that Anthony Michael Carleo had mused about robbing the posh Bellagio casino of high-value chips three days before the dramatic stickup, saying he would get away with it by selling some chips and slowly gambling the others, according to a police report.
Instead, the son of a judge quickly gambled and talked his way into jail, the report states.
Carleo, 29, made his first court appearance Monday since being taken into custody. He spoke only twice and was not asked to enter pleas on six charges, including armed robbery, assault, burglary and carrying a concealed weapon.
"I did, your honor," Carleo said when Las Vegas Justice of the Peace Ann Zimmerman asked if he understood the charges.
Carleo, shackled and dressed in a blue jail uniform, also said he preferred to use the last name Carleo instead of the last name of his father, Las Vegas Municipal Court Judge George Assad.
Carleo’s lawyer, William Terry, declined to comment after the hearing. Another hearing was scheduled for Feb. 23.
Surveillance video from the Dec. 14 heist shows a motorcycle helmet-wearing robber waving a gun as he ran from the Bellagio.
An unidentified person later contacted police and said Carleo had speculated that he could offload individual chips valued at $25,000 and gamble the rest at about $5,000 a month, according to the arrest report.
"The citizen source replied, ‘Dude, you watch Ocean’s Eleven too much. This is real life and that … doesn’t happen,’" the report said.
Bellagio records show Carleo had little restraint, losing about $105,000 during 18 sessions in just over a month, including $72,000 on New Year’s Eve.
He also tried to sell chips to Matt Brooks of Washington, D.C., a stranger he contacted through a popular Web forum for poker players, sending pictures of $25,000 chips with a note signed "Biker Bandit," Brooks told law enforcement officials.
About $1.2 million of the loot has been accounted for, police said.
Carleo was arrested after an undercover police officer bought stolen chips and invited Carleo to be part of a crew that would rob Las Vegas casinos, the arrest report said.
Carleo told the officer he had already robbed the Bellagio, the report said.
