The State of Nevada v. Jose Vigoa

Jose Vigoa, now 61, is believed to be the mastermind behind a string of casino robberies that plagued the Strip.

Vigoa was once described by then-Chief Deputy District Attorney David Roger as “one of the most dangerous criminals in the history of Clark County.”

In this case, he was convicted in a series of daring robberies and the March 2000 deaths of two armored truck drivers outside Ross Dress for Less in Henderson. He received four life sentences with no chance of parole.

Authorities say the robberies occurred at the MGM Grand, Mandalay Bay, Bellagio and Desert Inn. At the Bellagio, two men wearing body armor jumped the cashier cage counters and stole about $160,000 in cash and casino chips.

Vigoa’s brother-in-law Pedro Duarte, 58, was convicted of two counts of robbery and two counts of attempted murder and is out on parole.

Oscar Sanchez Cisneros, another brother-in-law, confessed to the murders and robberies and died by suicide in October 2000 while at the Clark County Detention Center.

Another defendant, Luis Suarez, pleaded guilty to a single count of robbery in the 2000 Bellagio heist.

John Huddy’s 2008 book, “Storming Las Vegas,” delved into Vigoa’s shadowy past: Raised in Cuba, he became a Soviet-trained commando who fought in Afghanistan.

Evidence in the case shows an arsenal of weapons and ammunition ready for a heist.

Multiple bulletproof camouflage vests, rows of cartridges and a Glock semiautomatic handgun are packed tightly.

Also shown are two other handguns and pictures of cash, shotguns and a green bag that says “Do it for the money.”

A drawing that shows bullets’ impacts on a Brinks truck was used as evidence during the robbery and double murder case against Jose Vigoa in the early 2000s.