Four Sentenced for Vee Quiva Casino Robbery Attempt
| U.S. Attorney’s Office March 07, 2014 |
PHOENIX—On March 5, 2014, Darvon Hibbler, 26, of Phoenix, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge James Carr to 24 months in prison. Hibbler pled guilty on December 17, 2013, to conspiring to commit a robbery and theft. He was the final defendant to be sentenced in this attempted robbery of the Vee Quiva Casino on the Gila River Indian Community.
On May 31, 2013, Hibbler and Corey Wright, 42, of Phoenix, walked into the Vee Quiva Casino with the intent to steal money. Hibbler went up to the teller at the cashier’s cage and demanded money while Wright stood back as the lookout. Hibbler reached into his waistband as though he had a gun. Another teller saw what was happening and called for security. Hibbler and Wright left the casino without any money. Katrina Serna, 31, and Joseph Shope, 35, both of Laveen, Arizona, knew about the plan to rob the casino, failed to notify law enforcement, and helped Hibbler and Wright escape the casino after the robbery. On February 14, 2014, Wright was sentenced to 14 months in prison for his part in the attempted robbery. Serna, on March 4, 2014, and Shope, on March 5, 2014, were each sentenced by U.S. District Judge James Carr to five years’ probation and four months home confinement for failing to report the conspiracy.
The investigation in this case was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Gila River Police Department. The prosecution was handled by Raynette Logan, Assistant U.S. Attorney, District of Arizona, Phoenix.