Monarch Casino $500K Theft Leads to Second Colorado Arrest

Posted on: May 23, 2023, 09:46h. 

Last updated on: May 23, 2023, 10:22h.

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

Juan Gutierrez-Zambrano appeared in court this week. He is the second suspect in the historic heist at Colorado’s Monarch Casino Resort Spa Black Hawk  March. The amount of money stolen is believed to be the largest ever swiped in a casino theft in Colorado.

Monarch Casino Resort Spa Black Hawk
Monarch Casino Resort Spa Black Hawk, pictured above. Two suspects were arrested for a theft at the Colorado gaming property. (Image: Monarch Casino)

Gutierrez-Zambrano declined to comment on the charge when asked for a statement by a reporter while appearing in court, according to KUSA.

Gutierrez-Zambrano, 31, was apprehended earlier this month and charged with theft of $100K to $1 million, according to court documents. He was booked in a local jail and is being held on a bond of $525K. 

A cashier, Sabrina Eddy, 44, was arrested previously on a theft charge in connection with the heist. She allegedly stole 10 bricks of $50K each from the gaming property’s vault, according to Colorado TV station KUSA.

Attorney Client Priledge

Eddy reportedly put the loot into boxes, covered it with rags, taped it shut, and placed the boxes in a minivan, authorities said. She then drove away from a parking garage at the casino. She took the money to the parking lot of St. Anthony’s Hospital in Lakewood, Colo, where she handed it over to another person identified as an “attorney.”

The so-called attorney was later identified as Gutierrez-Zambrano, according to the Colorado Bureau of Investigation. Eddy was arrested shortly after the theft and booked at the Gilpin County jail before being released on a personal recognizance bond.

Initially, Eddy claimed she took the money because she followed orders from her casino supervisors, identified as the gaming property’s head of operations and a cage manager. If she didn’t take the cash, the casino would be in a “breach of contract,” Eddy claimed she was told.

Catching a Thief

Eddy voluntarily took a polygraph test, which investigators said indicated evidence of deception. After additional questioning, Eddy “finally broke down and began crying,” and “provided an entirely different account of what occurred with the theft,” an affidavit revealed, according to KUSA.

During their investigation, police reviewed surveillance video in the casino, which allegedly shows her stealing the money. Investigators reportedly used traffic cameras, vehicle registration, cell phone records, and an oil change receipt to connect Gutierrez-Zambrano to the case, according to the affidavit.

The affidavit further stated that Eddy told investigators “unknown associates of her deceased former husband had contacted her and forced her to engage in the theft after levying threats against her family members by email and on phone calls.”