#CasinoBombing #HarveysLakeTahoe #JohnBirgesSr
🎰 The Untold Story of the Harvey’s Lake Tahoe Casino Bombing 🎲
If you’re a fan of true crime stories, then you’re in for a wild ride with this one. Today, I learned about the infamous John Birges Sr., who orchestrated one of the most bizarre and shocking events in casino history. Let’s dive into the details and unravel the mystery behind the Harvey’s Lake Tahoe Casino bombing.
## Who Was John Birges Sr.?
John Birges Sr. was a Hungarian immigrant who came to the United States in search of a better life. He worked as a successful businessman in Fresno, California, but his life took a dark turn when he accumulated heavy gambling losses. Finding himself in a desperate financial situation, Birges hatched a diabolical plan to recoup his losses.
## The Bombing Plot
In 1980, John Birges Sr. decided to take drastic measures to extort $10 million from Harvey’s Lake Tahoe Casino. He carefully constructed a sophisticated bomb and planted it inside the casino. The FBI was immediately called in to handle the situation, but what they encountered was unlike anything they had ever seen before.
### The Failed Defusing Attempt
Despite their best efforts, the FBI failed to defuse the bomb, which they described as “unlike any we’d seen before.” The decision was made to evacuate the entire casino and surrounding areas as a safety precaution.
## The Catastrophic Explosion
A tense 34-hour standoff ensued as experts tried to dismantle the bomb, but their efforts were in vain. The bomb ultimately detonated, causing extensive damage to the casino and surrounding properties. Miraculously, there were no fatalities, but the explosion sent shockwaves throughout the entire country.
## John Birges Sr.’s Capture and Conviction
Following the explosion, law enforcement launched a massive manhunt to apprehend John Birges Sr. He was eventually captured and brought to trial, where he was convicted of multiple charges related to the bombing. Birges received a lengthy prison sentence, and the infamous casino bombing saga finally came to a close.
### The Far-Reaching Impact
The Harvey’s Lake Tahoe Casino bombing had a profound impact on the gaming industry and law enforcement. It served as a wake-up call for casinos to bolster their security measures and prompted authorities to reevaluate their tactics for handling similar threats in the future.
## Conclusion
The story of the Harvey’s Lake Tahoe Casino bombing is a fascinating, albeit disturbing, chapter in the annals of true crime. John Birges Sr.’s brazen attempt to extort a massive sum of money through a meticulously constructed bomb captivated the nation and left an indelible mark on the casino industry.
As we reflect on this extraordinary tale, it serves as a reminder of the lengths that individuals will go to in pursuit of their desires, no matter the consequences. The Harvey’s Lake Tahoe Casino bombing will forever remain a cautionary tale and a testament to the resilience of those who were impacted by its devastating aftermath.
In conclusion, the Harvey’s Lake Tahoe Casino bombing stands as a sobering reminder of the potential for greed to lead individuals down a path of destruction. This cautionary tale continues to captivate audiences and serve as a stark reminder of the consequences of unchecked ambition.
So, what do you think of this incredible true crime story? Let me know in the comments below! And if you want more fascinating stories like this, be sure to subscribe to our newsletter for all the latest updates. Thank you for taking the time to learn about this jaw-dropping event in casino history.
Source: https://tahoequarterly.com/summer-2013/the-man-behind-the-bomb
When the house loses
Fun fact: The van’s license plate was discovered very quickly, although it was registered to the son of John Briges Sr: John Briges Jr. When FBI agents discovered the son living amongst empty beer cans and bags of marijuana, they concluded he could not have been the mastermind behind the complex bomb and moved on. Eventually they caught John Briges Sr. a year later when his son’s ex-girlfriend tattled to her new boyfriend who promptly informed the FBI.
A more in depth video on the bombing for those interested:
Guess he took the term ‘high-stakes gambling’ a bit too literally!
“The agents’ big break came from Nancy De Minico, owner of South Lake Tahoe’s Balahoe Motel, who provided them with a license plate number of a suspicious white van.
Birges Sr., Brown and Hall stayed at the motel the night before planting the bomb and untoward comments made by one of the men toward De Minico caused her to jot down the license plate number.”
Probably not a great time to be John Birges Jr.
The Dollop podcast has an episode over this. The most ridiculous part is that the bomb “crate” was dropped off inside the building with an envelope going over the bomb information and demands. A security guard who had just taken a class on mail bombs was suspicious and took swift action… by hiding behind and against the bomb while they carefully tried to inspect the envelope. Of course, one of the instructions inside the letter was to not touch the outside of the bomb too much.
They have a display inside the Harvey’s poker room about this piece of history.
The bomb was so elaborate and well made that the FBI used models of it in their bomb defusal training program for many years afterward
“Unlike any they had ever seen before”
I bet he used all purple wires. Instead of color coding everything, like it has to pass electrical inspection.
Recoup is to gain what was lost, recuperate is to rest to recover from illness or exertion.
I remember when this happened. I was surprised that this was never made into a movie. Probably didn’t want to give anyone else idea’s on, how to do it again. The whole story line is pretty fascinating though, if not a bit comical.
I learned about this when I saw Phish there in 2011.
Between an 18 month in 1971-72, there were 2500 bombs set off in the US. The late 60s and well into the 70s was a wild time. Don’t let boomers say it was safer back then because it really wasn’t.
First TIL I’ve seen in a while that actually was TIL.
Been going to Tahoe my whole life and never heard this. Sounds like it needs a movie adaptation
Studied this in Boom Boom disposal school I lost against it as well.. went boom boom…. Fortunately everyone lost on this one including the instructors. Lots of little switches to play with…
Since no one was harmed, I feel okay saying that the thumbnail photograph goes extremely hard. The vintage yellow tones, the spacing of the cars, and how serene everything looks other than the giant explosion… great photo honestly lol
My mom was a deputy and was present during this – it blew up when she was in a building just across the street. She believes it was an inside job given Harvey’s had been turned down repeatedly for major remodel plans. They had a big insurance policy on the place and after it blew, they remodeled it exactly how they had planned.
The FBI called in army EOD techs, who told them that it wasn’t going to be possible to prevent detonation, and to pay the dude and recover the money later.
Source: me, my old unit still has glass from the front door of the casino lmao
From the article:
>Birges Sr. was convicted of federal extortion and bombing charges on October 22, 1982. He was sentenced to life in prison without parole. At 74, Birges Sr. died of liver cancer at the Southern Nevada Correctional Center, exactly 16 years and one day after the bombing.
In college. We did a case study of this event. Professor was former FBI in Nevada. It sounded like something my dad would have been involved with. Being Army EOD stationed in San Francisco at the time.
So I asked my dad that night. He said the army showed up as support. Had no idea how to disarm it. When the fbi told them they were gonna detonate it using a shape charge. The army told them it wouldn’t work. FBI insisted that was the plan. Army said ok. We’re out of here then.
Told my professor next time in class what my dad said. And he responded “yup. Pretty much what happened l” 😂
This guys son is a surfboard shaper in Nicaragua and was living at an adventure resort I was working at a few years back. He was generally an unstable, arrogant asshole, to both the locals and the guests. One day the son of a bitch got some of his stuff stolen by whoever, proceeded to get drunk (and probably chemically altered in other ways as well) kicked my door down and tasered me a bunch of times because his paranoid ass thought it might have been me. Wherever you are John, fuck you.