Arraignment in sports betting case postponed until attorney retained
Ezekiel Rubalcada made his first court appearance Tuesday on charges of stealing $482,883 from a prominent sports betting operation, but his arraignment was continued until he hires a lawyer.
Outside the courtroom, Rubalcada commented for the first time on the theft case, saying, "If God is on my side, who can be against me?"
He would not comment further.
Rubalcada, 35, of Las Vegas, told Henderson Justice of the Peace David Gibson Sr. that he was in the process of retaining defense attorney Ben Durham and asked to continue his arraignment. Gibson reset the hearing for Sept. 12.
But that date might not be necessary.
Chief Deputy District Attorney Brian Rutledge told Rubalcada in court that he planned to seek an indictment against him, which would move the criminal case directly to District Court for trial. Rutledge was preparing to present evidence to the grand jury as early as this week.
Rubalcada, who police allege staged a phony carjacking in April to cover up the theft, was arrested last week on a 33-count felony complaint. He was freed from the Henderson Detention Center over the weekend on $131,000 bail.
The money was stolen between Jan. 18 and April 14 from an M Resort betting account belonging to ACME Group Trading, a company gambler-developer Bill Walters incorporated in July 2005, according to the 10-page criminal complaint filed against Rubalcada in Henderson.
Records on file with the Nevada secretary of state’s office show that until October, Walters was president, secretary and treasurer of Veg Corp. Inc., the company listed as the sole manager of ACME Group Trading. Walters, who has a reputation as a prolific sports bettor, was the subject of a "60 Minutes" feature this year.
Rubalcada, regarded by the company as a partner, placed wagers for ACME Group with money deposited into the M Resort account, a Henderson police affidavit said.
Between January and April, the affidavit alleged, Rubalcada withdrew cash from the account in amounts ranging from $2,000 to $130,000 on 16 occasions without notifying the company’s manager.
Then, on April 14, in an effort to divert attention from the theft, Rubalcada staged the carjacking and reported it to police, the affidavit alleged.
Rubalcada told officers that as he pulled away from valet parking at M Resort in his 2004 Chevrolet Avalanche, a black four-door sedan pulled in front of him and a man wearing a ski mask got out and pointed a gun at him.
He said the suspect ordered him out of the pickup, then stepped inside and sped away with nearly $360,000 in company sports betting money left in the vehicle.
Henderson police have poked holes in the story, and the missing money has not been recovered .
Contact reporter Jeff German at jgerman@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-8135.
