Colorado’s Monarch Casino Site of Alleged $500K Theft by Cashier

Posted on: March 28, 2023, 08:27h. 

Last updated on: March 28, 2023, 11:57h.

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

A one-time Monarch Casino cashier remains in jail this week for allegedly stealing $500K from the Colorado gaming property. The suspect claims she only was following orders from casino bosses.

Monarch Casino Resort Spa Black Hawk
Monarch Casino Resort Spa Black Hawk, pictured above. A cashier was arrested after allegedly stealing $500K from the Colorado casino. (Image: TripAdvisor)

It was reported on Monday that Sabrina Eddy, 44, repeatedly grabbed stacks of bills from a casino cage vault at Monarch Casino Resort Spa Black Hawk on March 12.

Each time Eddy grabbed the stacks, she placed the stacks into the same box,” according to a state Division of Gaming arrest affidavit quoted by Colorado TV station KUSA. “She put what appeared to be … rags in the box and, at about 12:55 am, she taped the box shut.”

She then took the box to a minivan parked in the casino’s garage and drove away. Eddy drove back to the casino an hour later to allegedly steal more stacks of bills.

Surveillance video caught her allegedly stealing the money.

Eddy was apprehended and booked for theft at the Gilpin County jail on the same day as the theft, according to KUSA. She is soon to appear in local court.

Bosses Told Her Money Needed for UPS Order

One twist to the theft revealed in the arrest affidavit is that Eddy claims she didn’t steal the money, but was told by bosses to remove the cash, KUSA reported.

She claims a man who said he was the casino’s head of operations called her at the gaming property. That man and another, who she identified as a cage manager, told her the casino needed the money for a UPS order, according to KUSA. If she didn’t take the cash, the casino would be in a “breach of contract,” Eddy claimed.

At 4:36 a.m., she handed the money over to an unspecified man while the two were at St. Anthony Hospital in Lakewood, Colo., according to KUSA. The money was eventually supposed to be delivered to an attorney, she said.

That morning, she tried to call the men who had given her instructions, but no one answered their phones. Later, she called the casino and told them she was coming back to work. She admitted, too, she might be “arrested” for taking the money.

Just Following Orders?

During questioning, Eddy told investigators “she did nothing wrong, but she was just following orders she believed had [been] put out by the casino,” the affidavit stated.

The amount of money stolen is believed to be the largest ever swiped in a casino theft in Colorado, KUSA reported.

Division of Gaming spokesperson Suzi Karrer told KUSA she had no comment on the theft. Monarch Casino also didn’t provide details on the theft.

“As a business, sometimes unfortunate things happen,” casino spokesperson Erica Ferris told KUSA. “We’ve been fortunate in the past.”