Casino Crime Roundup: Caesars Palace Defendant to Plead Guilty

Posted on: August 15, 2023, 12:20h. 

Last updated on: August 16, 2023, 05:05h.

Ed Silverstein @casinoorgedsilv Read More
Expertise: Legal, Tribal Gaming.

The man accused of holding a victim hostage in a Caesars Palace Las Vegas hotel room and tossing furnishings out of a window will plead guilty to reduced charges, according to the defendant’s attorney, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.

Matthew Mannix
Matthew Mannix, pictured above, is expected to plead guilty to reduced charges after an incident at Caesars Palace. (Image: CBS News)

Matthew Mannix, 35, will also pay $55,292 in restitution to the hotel for the July 11 incident, the lawyer, David Roger of Las Vegas, recently said in court.

On Wednesday, Mannix likely will plead guilty to malicious destruction of property and reckless endangerment, according to the Review-Journal. Initially, he was charged with first-degree kidnapping, coercion with a deadly weapon, destruction of property, and disregarding the safety of persons or property.

He allegedly threatened to shoot police officers, as well as threatened to cut out the tongue of the hostage during the standoff. Mannix, who also has charges pending in Colorado, allegedly smoked methamphetamine while in the 21st-floor hotel room.

Man Faces Life in Prison

A California defendant was convicted of murder on Monday after killing his partner in an online casino operation. He now faces 50 years to life in prison.

A Kern County jury convicted Lucifer Darnell Pierce, 41, of first-degree murder after a trial, according to California TV station KBAK. Pierce is scheduled to be sentenced on September 12.

The victim, Mubarek Alnajar, was suspected of stealing money from the gambling business. Pierce, angry over the theft, shot Alnajar on Jan. 13, 2021, in South Bakersfield, Calif.

Pierce met Alnajar in the victim’s car and confronted him about the missing money. Pierce then shot Alnajar in the face with a 9mm handgun, police said.

Several days later, police arrested him.

In 2007, Pierce was acquitted of first-degree murder in the 1999 death of Leslie Ahart, 32. He was convicted and sent to prison on other California counts, the report said. He was on parole at the time of the Alnajar murder.

“Not content to cease his violent ways, Lucifer Pierce took a life shortly after being released from prison. This conviction should result in a life sentence that will ensure decades in prison before Pierce is even considered for parole eligibility,” Kern County District Attorney Cynthia Zimmer said in a statement.

Boomtown Hotel Standoff in Reno

An intruder refused to leave a hotel room at Reno’s Boomtown Hotel and Casino for about three hours on Monday.

The unnamed suspect eventually gave himself up after police officers negotiated with him, according to Reno, Nev. TV station KOLO.

He apparently scaled the hotel building and went to several balconies until he went inside one of the rooms, Reno TV station KTVN reported.

Reno officers were notified about the situation at about 8:50 a.m. During the standoff, the suspect allegedly threatened hotel security guards though no one was injured.

The motive behind the invasion was unclear as of Monday, KOLO reported.

The man was being held at the Washoe County Jail later on Monday. He faces four counts of assault with a deadly weapon and a count of home invasion.

Caesars Palace Sidewalk Shooting Over Beer

The July 30 shooting of a man outside of Caesars Palace Las Vegas was due to a dispute over a beer.

The two men involved in the incident were at a bus stop outside of the gaming property when they began to argue, according to the Las Vegas-Review Journal. The victim was treated at University Medical Center after being shot in the arm. The bullet, however, wound up in his abdomen, and its fragments can’t be removed and will remain inside the victim, the Review-Journal reported.

Dwayne Brown, 31, was identified as the suspect. On August 5, officers stopped Brown at a convenience store near Flamingo Road and Arville Street. He got into a struggle with officers before he was apprehended and was carrying a silver revolver when he was arrested, police said.

Brown was charged with attempted murder, battery with a deadly weapon, carrying a concealed weapon without a permit, and discharging a firearm in a populated area, the Review-Journal reported.