Guzman sentenced in bar scam

Bill Gang

Friday, June 14, 1996 | 11:59 a.m.

With a badge and a scam, Peter Guzman won the confidence of bartenders across Las Vegas and unfettered access to their taverns' cash registers.

In six of the more than 10 incidents, Guzman made off with more than $1,500, which he admitted went for drugs.

With a scowl and a gavel, District Judge Gene Porter on Thursday put an end to Guzman's spree with an 8-to-20-year prison sentence.

"He steals in the name of the law," Porter barked as he rejected a request for leniency from Deputy Public Defender Jim Gubler.

Deputy District Attorney Gary Booker said that in the scam Guzman would enter a bar during early morning hours when it was just him and the bartender.

He would loosen pipes in the bathroom and then inform the bartender of the potential flood.

Booker said the bartenders would say they couldn't leave the bar to investigate the problem. That is when Guzman would flash a badge and identify himself as an undercover Metro Police officer or an off-duty highway patrolman, offering to keep the bar safe for a few minutes.

But as soon as the bartender was out of sight, Guzman would leap the bar and empty the cash register before fleeing.

Booker said the events often were caught by security cameras and the bartenders in each location picked out Guzman's picture in photo lineups.

On April 17, as his trial neared, Guzman agreed to a plea bargain that consolidated four incidents into two counts of burglary and one count of impersonating a police officer.

Booker said that other cases pending in the system are unaffected by the plea bargain and could result in still more time.

The crimes between November and January involved Noreen's Cocktail Lounge, 2719 E. Tropicana Ave. on Nov. 29; Gloria's Depot, 3720 W. Tropicana Ave. on Dec. 14; Jake's Bar, 2301 S. Eastern Ave. on Jan. 3; and Bleachers Sports Pub, 3720 E. Sunset Road on Jan. 4.

As part of his sentence, Guzman was ordered to repay the $1,500 he stole.