Much revealed in Cisneros statement

Kim Smith

Wednesday, June 12, 2002 | 9:55 a.m.

For two and a half hours straight Oscar Sanchez Cisneros denied all. Then the death penalty was mentioned.

Three and a half hours later, Cisneros had implicated himself and three other men in a double homicide and four daring hotel-casino heists.

Cisneros' statement to police is now a public document, having been attached last week to a motion filed in the Jose Vigoa case.

Vigoa, 42, is scheduled to go on trial next month in connection with robberies at the MGM Grand, Bellagio, Desert Inn and Mandalay Bay. He is also being tried for the March 2000 slayings of two armored truck guards in Henderson.

Cisneros, 23, committed suicide in October 2000 -- four months after he was arrested along with Vigoa and gave his statement to police.

After repeatedly telling detectives "I don't know nothing," Cisneros decided to confess all after being told he could receive the death penalty for the slayings of Richard Sosa, 47, and Gary Dean Prestidge II, 23.

Cisneros, who told police he spent most of his share on "junk" and trips to Mexico, outlined each of the robberies in sequence.

They decided to rob their first casino, the MGM, because they didn't have a lot of money in September 1998, Cisneros said.

"What made you think it would be easy to do?" Cisneros was asked.

"Not easy. Nothing easy, but we can do it," Cisneros said.

The second robbery took place at the Desert Inn in June 1999.

Cisneros said he fired shots during that robbery to protect himself from armored truck guards, who he said fired first.

"I just went for money," Cisneros said. He added that Vigoa isn't a violent person either.

"He's not because he had a chance to kill those guys, 'cause he's got a big gun. And he didn't do it," Cisneros said.

In the Mandalay Bay robbery in October 1999, Cisneros said they made sure the casino's security staff didn't have guns.

Had the staff had guns, Cisneros said they "wouldn't of done it, cause they'd shoot back."

"We don't want no trouble, don't want to hurt nobody ... just go for money that's all," Cisneros said.

Cisneros told detectives he, Vigoa and Suarez decided to switch from casino robbery to armored truck robbery because "the casinos got too many people inside," especially too much security.

The robbery outside the Ross Dress-for-Less store went badly from the beginning, Cisneros said.

"When we got out of the car, the guy that was outside (Prestidge), we told him don't move and he moved and he start shooting," Cisneros said. "And then Jose Luis, the one behind me, he shoot him because he shoot my leg first time."

Three months later, Cisneros said they decided to rob the Bellagio despite what happened at Ross.

"We're afraid. I do, but I do not have much money. We needed some money," Cisneros said.