LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — August 26 is an explosive date in Nevada history.
On this day in 1980, a bomb went off at Harvey’s Resort Hotel in South Lake Tahoe. The explosives came into the resort hidden inside a copy machine. An attached ransom note demanded $3 million to prevent detonation and warned the device was tamper-proof.
The threat proved real when the bomb went off during defusal. No one got seriously hurt, but the blast caused $18 million in damage.
The mastermind of the plot, John Burgis, claimed he’d lost more than $750,000 in the casino and wanted payback.
His sons testified against him and serve no jail time for their involvement. A jury convicted Burgis and sentenced him to life without parole.
He died in prison from live cancer just one day after the bombing’s 16th anniversary.
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