(Lawrenceburg, IN) – Daniel Birdseye was sentenced in Dearborn Circuit Court on Tuesday to 52 years in prison for the March 2, 2024 armed robbery at Hollywood Casino in Lawrenceburg – a case believed to be the first prosecuted casino robbery in Indiana.
Jurors convicted the 42-year-old Cincinnati man in May of Kidnapping; Criminal Confinement with a Deadly Weapon (both Level 3 felonies), and three counts of Intimidation with a Deadly Weapon (Level 5 felony).
He pled guilty on the first day on the first day of the trial to Robbery While Armed with a Deadly Weapon (Level 3 felony), and was acquitted of one count of Criminal Confinement While Armed with a Deadly Weapon, and one count of Intimidation While Armed with a Deadly Weapon.
Birdseye was accused of pulling a 9 mm handgun on a Hollywood Casino employee and demanding money from the casino cage area.
Testimony and surveillance footage indicated Birdseye threatened employees with the firearm, forced them into secured areas, stole large amounts of cash, and used an employee as a hostage while escorting him from the casino.
Birdseye was taken into custody shortly after the incident in the nearby Oxbow area and housed in the Dearborn County Law Enforcement Center.
“What stands out to me about this case is the response of the people who were placed in an incredibly dangerous situation,” Dearborn County Prosecutor Lynn Deddens said. “The employees of Hollywood Casino showed tremendous courage that night and again when they came into court and testified about what happened to them. At the same time, law enforcement agencies from across the area responded immediately, with many officers coming back on duty to help locate and apprehend Birdseye. That level of coordination was remarkable. Their quick response, along with the actions of casino employees, helped minimize the potential for further injury in a situation that easily could have ended much differently.”
