Deputies thwart plan to rob $2 million from casino boat

By LISA A. DAVIS
July 21, 2010
tampatrib.com

The plan had a couple of different scenarios to steal $2 million from a casino boat: One included hijacking a boat; the other involved shooting at people from the banks of a small island in the Pithlachascotee River channel.

But in the end, no one was shot at, no boat was swiped, no money was stolen and one man was sitting behind bars before the scheme could be unleashed.

Pasco County Sheriff's Office detectives say they stopped 21-year-old Ronald Austin Bayless before he could attempt to rob SunCruz Casino of Port Richey.

Bayless was arrested Monday while already in jail on drug charges. He now faces charges of conspiracy to commit robbery and solicitation to commit robbery.

In May, Pinellas detectives got a tip about Bayless' casino plan and worked with Pasco detectives in the case, said Pasco County Sheriff's Office spokesman Kevin Doll.

Detectives worked undercover, agreeing to help Bayless carry out the robbery. Bayless, who worked briefly for SunCruz and whose now deceased father was at one time a captain for the company, told the undercover detectives the floating casino would anchor several miles off the coast but that employees at a certain time and date would return to shore on a smaller boat with the earnings.

He planned on robbing the employees of what he thought to be about $2 million in cash before they made it back to dock, according to the report.

Bayless planned to take the money by force, but would need a boat to do so, Doll said. The undercover detectives said they would secure a boat, which they never did. Instead, they busted Bayless when he sold them marijuana on June 8, giving them time to further investigate the case.

"He had this plan that he thought he had inside information, so he thought it was going to work," Doll said Tuesday.

Detectives brought the case to the state attorney's office and arrested Bayless at the Land O' Lakes Jail on Monday afternoon.

Beth Fifer, assistant to the SunCruz CEO, said Tuesday the casino was recently notified by authorities about the conspiracy, but never heard any details.

"This is the first time I've heard this plan. It's absolutely ridiculous and impossible," she said, adding that she couldn't elaborate for security reasons. "We are a casino and we are comfortable with our security, and we are very comfortable with our law enforcement."

Fifer, who has worked for the Port Richey company for 15 years, described the scheme as a first.

"There has never been a fear of an instance like this, and we've never had an instance like this," Fifer said.

The 150-employee company is continuing business as usual, taking customers out into the Gulf of Mexico to enjoy Las Vegas-style gambling, she said.

Bayless, of 9130 Lometa Lane, is being held at the Land O' Lakes Jail. Bail on the new charges is set at $15,000.

Deputies thwart plan to rob $2 million from casino boat