Caleb Rogers, a 35-year-old former Las Vegas police officer, was sentenced to 12 years in federal prison on October 17 for committing a total of three casino robberies that netted a combined sum of $165,000. Rogers also allegedly used a department-issued firearm for one of the heists.
Rogers has been held in custody on unpaid leave from the police force since his arrest back in February 2022, when he was apprehended in the parking lot of the Rio after attempting to make off with approximately $79,000 he’d stolen moments before.
At the sentencing hearing, Rogers acknowledged that he understood his mistakes and continues to “pray for a chance at redemption,” according to the Associated Press.
U.S. District Judge Andrew Gordon’s 12-year sentence was lower than the potential 22-year maximum sentence. Rogers was also ordered to pay over $85,000 in restitution to the casinos and will have three years of supervised release after prison.
A statement from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said that Rogers’ job status remains undetermined, and will be finalized once an internal investigation is completed. Rogers was still working as a patrol officer when he began his string of robberies in November of 2021.
Richard Pocker, Rogers’ attorney, told the AP that they plan to appeal the ruling to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, primarily on the argument that Rogers was being shoehorned for two other heists that officials wanted to tie up.
An underlying theme of the trial was Rogers’ alleged gambling addiction and related debt, which was ostensibly the motivation for committing the heists.
A key player in the prosecution was Rogers’ younger brother, Josiah, who testified against Caleb under immunity. In his testimony, Josiah explained that the two of them worked together to rob Red Rock Casino in November of 2021, making off with a total of $73,810—the younger Rogers then took $30,000 for himself and moved back to Ohio, the family’s home state.
The elder Rogers, however, stayed in the area and went on to rob the Aliante Casino Hotel on January 6, 2022 for about $11,500. His spree was then stopped with the aforementioned Rio incident a month later.
