Cincinnati Man Receives Lengthy Sentence for Armed Robbery at Hollywood Casino

This is believed to be the first prosecuted casino robbery in Indiana.

(Lawrenceburg, Ind.) - Daniel Birdseye was back in Dearborn County Court on Tuesday. 

The 42-year-old from Cincinnati was sentenced to 52 years in prison for an armed robbery that occurred at Hollywood Casino in 2024. 

Birdseye went to trial in May where he pleaded guilty to Robbery with a Deadly Weapon (Level 3 Felony). The jury also found Birdseye guilty of Kidnapping (Level 3 Felony), Criminal Confinement with Deadly Weapon (Level 3 Felony), and three counts of Intimidation with a Deadly Weapon (Level 5 Felony).

According to a probable cause affidavit, Birdseye pulled out a 9 mm handgun on a Hollywood Casino employee and demanded money from the casino cage area. He made further demands and threatened to shoot at least one employee before fleeing the casino. 

A Hollywood Casino employee who was working in the main bank the day of the robbery provided a victim statement at the Sentencing hearing

"You have taken my feeling of security away from me. Having a gun pointed at you is one of the worst things a person can encounter. The fear I had that night will linger with me the rest of my life."