Poker player and former PokerNews editor Mo Nuwwarah says he was one of two victims of a car break-in outside an Italian restaurant in Las Vegas. And it’s part of a string of similar incidents in the neighboring Chinatown district.
The Nebraska native told PokerNews he’d just arrived in town and his friend and fellow Mid-States Poker Tour (MSPT) champion, Josh Reichard, picked him up at the airport around 1:45 p.m. on the Fourth of July. Shortly after, the two headed to Roma Deli, a popular local restaurant owned by Poker Hall of Famer Todd Brunson, on Spring Mountain.
During lunch at Roma, the poker pros would have their meal interrupted by some unfortunate news.
What Allegedly Happened
Nuwwarah explained that, about an hour after arriving at the restaurant, he was told by an employee that someone had broken into Reichard’s Ford Bronco Sport. The poker player was especially concerned to be informed of such because he knew his bag that he’d left in the car had a significant amount of cash inside.
Both players then immediately ran outside to the nearby lot where they were parked in hopes they were just being pranked. But they’d quickly discover a bashed-in window, and then upon investigating, they realized their possessions had been swiped.
That, as Nuwwarah said, included multiple bags, one of which had “at least” $12,000 in cash inside, and potentially as much as $15,000. Nuwwarah said he wasn’t certain of the exact amount, but he was on his way to compete in the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event, which costs $10,000 to enter. Reichard’s bag was also stolen, but there was no cash inside, only personal items.
“Just a sick feeling to walk out there to a smashed car and know not only your cash but your personal effects are likely gone for good,” Nuwwarah said. “Unfortunately if this was a targeted attack as it seems I have to advise people against parking their cars there or take anything valuable inside with them at the least.”
“And if people are out on the prowl hunting for unsuspecting poker players, then that goes for any establishment. Hopefully, these scumbags can never steal another red cent, and if they do, they get caught at some point.”
Nuwwarah said he parked in the nearby roped-off lot next to Roma Deli. It is believed there aren’t any surveillance cameras in that lot, but there is a camera in front of the restaurant. Roma shares a parking lot with a couple of other businesses and Brunson does not own the parking lot where they were parked.
No police report was immediately filed, as Nuwwarah explained, because police claimed they could not file a crime report until Reichard was available as the owner of the car, and that didn’t occur until Friday morning.
Reichard, who recently won the World Poker Tour (WPT) Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown for $839,300, has over $4.1 million in lifetime live tournament cashes, according to The Hendon Mob. Nuwwarah, a Midwesterner like Reichard, has $600,000 in career earnings.
Nuwwarah was able to shake off the unfortunate incident on Day 1c of the 2024 WSOP Main Event by bagging 273,000 chips, putting him near the top of the leaderboard.
Growing Problem in Las Vegas?
Earlier this year, KTNV Las Vegas, the local ABC network, investigated a growing problem of car break-ins in the nearby Chinatown district. Data shows that there were 28 break-ins within a two-week period back in January, and that only includes reported break-ins, not those that weren’t reported to police.
“I’m shocked that it’s that low. If you just drive around any random parking lot in Chinatown, you’ll see tempered glass,” Colin Fukunaga, owner of Fukuburger located in Chinatown told KTNV in January.
In response to all the car break-ins, back in February, the Las Vegas Metro Police Department (LVMPD) launched a new anti-crime team committed to stopping car break-ins in the Chinatown district.