In mid-July, poker pro Antonio Esfandiari was subject to a robbery at the Panorama Towers. His condo was allegedly taken advantage of by a woman named Svitlana Silva, who reportedly took around $1 million in valuables. It was unclear at the time what exactly took place, but it seems now police have a clearer picture. Silva has been charged with burglary and possession of stolen property at a value of $100k or more. It is believed that Silva used the money she stole to play in high stakes poker games.
The Details
According to Las Vegas Review Journal, Silva was able to access the condo of Esfandiari because she had a relationship to his father in the past. She reportedly knew key codes, and this was probably how she accessed a safe inside.
On July 14, the poker pro called police and stated that around $1 million in valuables had been taken from his property. This includes $50,000 in cash as well as pieces of jewelry, as well as $300k to $500k in casino chips. The jewelry stash included Esfandiari’s One Drop bracelet and some pieces that belonged to his father.
The poker pro was really upset about the One Drop bracelet being taken as it was a big moment in his career. It was also painful that someone stole from his dad.
Silva’s Decisions
For Silva, she didn’t just take the money and hightail it out of the country. Representatives of the Bellagio reported that she took large amounts of cash and played poker games in early August. She then started to make the rounds in Las Vegas, buying in at large amounts each time.
Silva was using ARIA And Bellagio chips, which was a big tip off. The chips that she used were a close match to those that had been taken from Esfandiari. Because of this, police were tipped off and tracked her down. They were also told by Esfandiari himself that she might be involved.
Antonio called police and said that he heard from someone that Silva had showed up at a private poker tournament in Las Vegas recently. The host of the event kept a list of the amount that each poker player used to buy-in. She used $5,000 in cash at first, then when she lost, she kept pulling out money and eventually left to get chips from the ARIA to play more.
After her arrest, Silva was found with chips from the Bellagio and the ARIA on her and in her car as well as large amounts of cash. When she was questioned about the robbery, she said that she saw someone else at the condo taking the items and did not report it to police.
According to reports, Silva’s ex-husband said to police that she told him she took $200,000 of her money and chips from the safe of the Esfandiari’s. Since her arrest, Silva has been bailed out of jail. She is scheduled to head to Las Vegas Justice Court in October.
