08:47
19 Nov
The serial robber with a fake bomb who sparked a WSOP lockdown two weeks ago has seen his charges reduced to 11 counts of robbery and attempted robbery, all with a deadly weapon, following his arrest that police say was down to leaving his DNA on a pharmacy chair…
Jeremy Francom’s poker media “career” as a stringer for PokerGO at the World Series of Poker lasted less than a day and ended in ignominious arrest on November 4th, Las Vegas Metro PD officers tackling him to the floor outside the main entrance to the Rio Convention Center.
Just saw a guy with a WSOP lanyard get tackled by 5 undercover on break of WSOP main event. The placed him under arrest and emptied his pockets. No idea if he was staff or why they arrested him. Intense.
— Johnnie VIBΞS (@JohnnieVibes) November 5, 2021
As rumours of a bomb threat flooded the opening day of the WSOP, the car park was put on lockdown for several hours as police ad bomb squad officers investigated Francom’s vehicle.
It transpired that Francom had been using a fake explosive device, described in reports as a “toy”, to extort money, and was under police surveillance as he took up his new short-lived job at the Rio.
Las Vegas news outlets have revealed that DNA found at the scene of a previous robbery linked Francom to a string of such incidents, each time the suspect entering premises and threatening that he had a weapon or a bomb.
The DNA match led police to Francom’s Las Vegas address while a DMV check matched his white Hyundai with one caught on surveillance footage at one of the robberies.
All this led a team of police officers and undercover detectives to the Rio, where Francom had landed temporary work helping to identify players for PokerGO.
Francom is described as having “sweet-talked his way into very temporary employment — through the proverbial “friend of a friend” — with the PokerGO live-streaming operation,” by Poker.org’s Haley Hintze.
It lasted less than a day, however, as police swooped on Francom as he left the Rio – the serial robber allegedly admitting to police that he had “used so many measures” to avoid getting caught.
These included not using a mobile phone, choosing locations that allowed him to make a quick escape, and covering “as much of his body as he could” during the robbery spree.
The nine robberies took place between September 24th and November 3rd, the DNA results – from a chair he sat on while waiting to rob a pharmacy – coming through on the day of his arrest.
Francom was originally charged with 20 separate counts on various charges, with a total bond of $600,000, but these have now been reduced to those listed above.
His next court appearance is scheduled for Tuesday, November 23rd.
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