Antonio Francisco Gutierrez, Robbery Affecting Commerce, Montana 2018

BILLINGS — Antonio Francisco Gutierrez, 36, walked into Dotty’s Casino on Montana Sapphire Drive last year masked, armed, and ready to steal. What followed was a cold, calculated act of violence that ended with a pregnant casino attendant forced to empty a cash drawer at gunpoint. Today, Gutierrez was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison, five years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $3,424 in restitution.

A federal jury convicted Gutierrez in January on three charges: robbery affecting commerce, brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, and being a felon in possession of a firearm. The armed robbery occurred on February 5, 2018, when Gutierrez enlisted co-defendant Christopher Esrey to drive him to the casino under the false pretense of meeting a friend to ‘get some money.’ Surveillance footage and witness testimony painted a damning picture of premeditation and fear.

At approximately 11:43 p.m., Gutierrez entered the casino wearing a hood, hat, and facemask. When the attendant buzzed him in after instructing him to remove his coverings, he pretended compliance. But the moment the inner door unlocked, Gutierrez stopped, pulled a pistol from his coat, cocked it, and pointed it at the attendant’s back. She complied, handing over cash from the till while visibly pregnant and terrified.

Gutierrez fled to an idling vehicle where Esrey waited. The pair drove off, but not fast enough to outrun the law. Police located them later that night at another casino. Esrey pleaded guilty to accessory after the fact and was sentenced to 15 months in prison, plus three years of supervised release. Prosecutors said he played a critical role in enabling the crime.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Colin Rubich and Tom Godfrey. U.S. District Judge Susan Watters presided over the trial and handed down the sentence. The investigation was led by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Billings Police Department, whose swift work led to Gutierrez’s arrest within hours of the robbery.

This case falls under Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the Department of Justice’s flagship initiative targeting violent offenders. PSN combines targeted enforcement with community-based prevention to reduce violent crime. In Montana, the program has prioritized prosecuting felons in possession of firearms and those who escalate robberies with weapons. Gutierrez’s decade-long sentence sends a clear message: armed violence in public spaces will be met with maximum consequences.

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