The State - News from Jan. 8, 1986
- Share via
A Susanville man was sentenced by a federal judge in Reno to 15 months in prison for threatening to blow up the MGM Grand-Reno casino last April if the resort failed to pay him $300,000. U.S. District Judge Edward Reed sentenced Moses Smith, 64, after the defendant pleaded guilty and told the court that he was in a “confused” state of mind when he made the telephoned threat. Smith, who pleaded guilty, was accused of calling the casino from a pay phone and demanding that $300,000 be dropped from a helicopter at a certain spot. He threatened to detonate four bombs planted at the casino if his demands weren’t met. No explosives were found.
More From the Los Angeles Times
Podcasts
Taped Jan 8, 2026, a year after the Eaton Fire, this episode features Ondi Timoner. After losing her home, she began documenting the displacement and financial struggles of her neighbors, joining My Tribe Rise to help Altadena rebuild and recover.
Attorney Frank Carson defended the accused for decades. Framed for murder and later acquitted, a star witness admitted he lied. Stanislaus County paid $22.5M to settle his estate’s lawsuit.
Hear from the winner of the 1968 Caltech vs MIT electric car race. But it’s not all fresh air: smog devastates communities of color, and the Trump administration may pull the plug on California’s ability to clear its own air.
