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Police: Ringleader of Indian casino heist arrested

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RIVERSIDE - The alleged ringleader of a $1.5 million Indian casino heist, an inside job in which 10 workers were hogtied, has been arrested, authorities said Monday.

Rolando Luis Ramos, 25, a video security technician at the Soboba Casino in San Jacinto, was arrested Saturday at a hotel near Los Angeles International Airport and booked on suspicion of strong arm robbery, false imprisonment, kidnapping and battery, Riverside County sheriff's Sgt. Dennis Gutierrez stated in a news release.

Police said Ramos and an accomplice held 10 employees at gunpoint, binding or gagging them before making off with the money early Thursday.

"The suspect apparently used knowledge from his work at the casino to plot the robbery," state Attorney General Jerry Brown said in a statement.

Ramos had applied for an emergency passport and may have been preparing to flee the country, Brown said.

The other suspect, Eric Alan Aguilera, 23, of Hemet, was booked Friday on suspicion of kidnapping, robbery and battery.

Aguilera allegedly told investigators he helped Ramos plot the robbery.

Police said they had recovered all but $200,000 of the stolen money.

Ramos, who was born in the Philippines, was being held without bail at the Southwest Detention Center.

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