A California jeweler visiting Planet Hollywood Las Vegas for a convention was dramatically robbed of a bag of high-end luxury watches while in an Uber on the Las Vegas Strip.
Around 5:15 p.m. on Tuesday, May 27, Raimond Irimescu of Sacramento, California, was in an Uber that stopped at a red light near the Tropicana and Paradise intersection.
That was when a white minivan pulled in front of them, and multiple armed suspects in masks and tactical gear smashed up the car and relieved Irimescu of a bag of luxury watches he was carrying.
To make things worse, this wasn’t the first rodeo for Irimescu.
The luxury watch dealer was also robbed in a very similar manner while visiting the Tropicana for the same convention in 2021. He is currently suing them over that incident, alleging the now-closed casino didn’t provide enough security for event attendees.
The Robbery
Irimescu did not reveal how much he was robbed of this time, but he did say that he had to return to Vegas for work – and next time, he would be armed.
In the previous incident, court filings from his lawsuit against the Tropicana revealed that he lost $1 million in stock in the robbery. That included high-end time pieces by Patek Phillipe, Harry Winston, and Rolex, including one piece valued at $95,000.
This week, he recounted the story of the latest robbery to FOX5 Vegas.
“A small SUV comes up behind us and then one white minivan traps us from the front… masks on, gloves on, bulletproof vests on,” he said.
“Immediately, one person broke the window of the driver and one person broke the window where I was in the back, and both of those men were threatening me and the driver with weapons. The person on my side had a gun.”
One of the bandits tagged Irimescu with his stun gun before grabbing the bag. As well as the watches, they made off with $15K in cash.
Police have not commented on this incident, or the one that happened in 2021. Irimescu says he believes he was targeted by someone with inside knowledge of his movements and his cargo.
This theft may be a particularly brazen and dramatic example. But every week, dozens of unlucky individual tourists see their valuable high-end watches stolen in Las Vegas.
David is an online casino expert who specializes in online slots and boasts over 10 years experience writing about iGaming. He has written for a wide range of notable publications, including eSports Insider and WordPlay Magazine.
David graduated Derby University with a BA Degree in English Literature and Creative Writing.
