Attorney General Brown's Special Investigation Unit Arrests Suspected Casino Heist Ring-Leader

Monday, August 6, 2007
Contact: (916) 210-6000, agpressoffice@doj.ca.gov

LOS ANGELES-Attorney General Edmund G. Brown Jr. today announced that special agents of the California Department of Justice and Riverside deputy sheriffs have apprehended Rolando Luda Ramos, 25, a Soboba Casino surveillance technician, believed to have master-minded last week's $1.5 million casino robbery.

Attorney General Brown, praising the officers involved, said, 'These officers demonstrated incredible ingenuity in tracking down Ramos and taking him into custody. The suspect apparently used knowledge from his work at the casino to plot the robbery. Our D.O.J. Special Investigation Unit joined with the Sheriff's Department in providing the rapid response that made the arrest possible.'

Riverside Sheriff Bob Doyle said, “Our team of investigators did a remarkable job of tracking Ramos and those who assisted him in this robbery. Ramos is in our Southwest Detention Center and we are holding him without bail. We are charging him with robbery, kidnapping, and false imprisonment. We have recovered approximately 1.3 of the 1.5 million dollars taken at gun point by Ramos and we are actively working leads to recover as much of the outstanding balance as possible.”

Ramos was caught Saturday at a hotel on El Segundo Boulevard near the Los Angeles International Airport. Recently, Ramos had applied for an emergency passport and may have been preparing to flee the country. He was found wearing a costume and in possession of cocaine.

On Friday, officials apprehended Eric Alan Aguilera, 23, the suspected getaway driver from the Casino robbery.

# # #