In January 2017, a female customer at the MGM National Harbor had her $15,000 mink coat stolen from the coat-check rooms. The Washington Post described the coat as a "special item from Neiman Marcus with sentimental value". It had her monogrammed initials inside.
The woman checked the coat at Fish, a signature Jose Andres seafood restaurant at the MGM National Harbor. When the women returned for her coat later, it was gone. That led to a two-month investigation by local police. Authorities finally found the mink coat, but only due to a sharp eye and good memory from one of the investigators.
Mysterious Woman Steals the Mink Coat
Police pulled up surveillance video of a woman in a pink collarless shirt and tan sweater walking out of the casino with the mink coat. The same woman walked into the casino with a black-and-white checkered coat, which she had checked in the same coat-roam.
Tricked the Coat Attendant
When the alleged thief asked for her coat, the attendant twice looked for it, but could not find it. Then the attendant allowed the woman to enter the coat room and look for it herself. She scoured the room for her coat, then confidently told the attendant the full-length gray mink was hers. Apparently, the flustered attendant (who had been working at the casino for a month) allowed her to convince him to take the expensive mink.
Security camera footage had the images of the woman, but she was still unidentified. That is, until one of the Prince George's County investigated recognized her picture. He said her name was Rosa Aviles, a 45-year old resident of Southwest Washington DC. According to the policeman, the two had worked together in the Upper Marlboro county administrative building at one time.
Search of Rosa Aviles' Home
On March 1, police obtained a search warrant from the D.C. Superior Court to look at Rosa Aviles's residence. There, they found the gray mink coat with the owner's monogram in it. After that discovery, police charged Rosa Aviles with theft. As the item was worth $15,000, it is a felony. Aviles's court date to appear for arraignment at Prince George's County District Court is April 7.
When the Washington Post asked MGM National Harbor and Rosa Aviles for comments, both declined to give an interview or comment. While it is unknown for sure whether MGM National Harbor has changed its coat-check policies, one has to imagine that the concierge no longer allow patrons in the coat room.
Authorities in the MGM National Harbor mink-stealing case noted that casinos are a bad place to commit a crime, because of the abundance of surveillance technology on the site. Anytime a crime is committed, investigators can search through a wealth of videotape. This not only shows every single entrace point to the casino, but also a wide view of the parking lots. Even the celebrity restaurants are going to have cameras trained at or near the exits.
Actor Rudy Youngblood Arrested at Miami Casino
The MGM National Harbor was not the only casino which reported a crime in January and recently had the case resolved. The Miccosukee Resort & Gaming venue in Miami had a somewhat less serious crime committed this weekend. What makes the incident notable is not the seriousness of the crime, but the person committing it.
Rudy Youngblood, an actor best known for his role of Jaguar Paul in Mel Gibson's Mayan apocalypse film, "Apocalypto", was arrested by Miami police at the Miccosukee Resort for drunkeness. According to witnesses, Rudy Youngblood was being verbally abusive and threatening to other poker players, so the police were called.
Disorderly Intoxication for Apocalpto Actor
When police arrived, they arrested Mr. Youngblood and charged him with disorderly intoxication. Miami authorities say the charge later was dropped, according to TMZ. Because Rudy Youngblood was verbally abusive and it did not escalate into a physical altercation, it appears that the prosecutors in the case decided to let the arrest serve as a warning to the actor.
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