The Oregon man who robbed the Wildhorse Casino in Pendleton and then shot at a tribal police officer four years ago has been sentenced to 20 years in federal prison.
Javier Francisco Vigil, 54, a resident of the Pendleton area, also was ordered in Oregon District U.S. Court to pay $2,000 in restitution to the confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Reservation, owner of the casino.
Vigil went to trial in April 2026, but on the second day pleaded guilty to attempted murder, interference with commerce by robbery and being a felon in possession of a gun with an armed career criminal enhancement.
“Vigil gambled and lost when he chose to rob this casino with a gun,” said U.S. Attorney Scott Bradford. “His violent actions endangered innocent employees, patrons and a law enforcement officer. He deserved and received the full consequences under federal law.”
Bradford also praised the law enforcement officer Vigil shot at, saying the officer risked his life to stop Vigil from harming anyone else.
On Aug. 17, 2022, Vigil got a ride to the Wildhorse Resort & Casino on the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation.
Wearing a baseball cap, gloves and sunglasses, he walked to the cashier cage in the gaming area and handed the cashier a note demanding $1 million.
Initially, she laughed, thinking he was joking, according to court documents.
Vigil responded by pulling out a pistol from the holster on his hip and pointing it at her. He threatened to “bathe everyone in blood,” according to court documents.
The cashier also remembered him saying he “I’m f---ing God,” as she pulled out almost $70,000 from a cash drawer. She put the money on the counter, and Vigil demanded she put it in a bag, according to court documents.
While she had the cash drawer open, she hit an emergency button.
Two minutes after entering the casino, Vigil walked out with $69,000 in a clear plastic bag.
Outside he spotted a Umatilla Tribal Police Department officer behind a law enforcement vehicle, and shot at the officer.
The officer shot back, hitting Vigil.
Court documents said that a Pendleton School District employee at the casino for a school event was caught in the crossfire and was injured. Insanity defense attempted
After Vigil was arrested, he said he was allowed to rob the casino because he was God.
He showed empathy for the cashier, saying he could tell she was scared of him and did not want to hurt her, said court documents. He also said he did not fire directly at the officer because he did not want to hurt the officer.
During the course of the case, Vigil said he was suicidal when he robbed the casino and that people were ignoring his messages, social media posts and the music videos he made claiming to be God. He also said he wanted money to buy a new car, according to court documents.
He had stopped taking his prescribed mental health medications earlier that summer because they interfered with his ability to use fentanyl, according to a court document.
Two weeks before the robbery he acquired a gun.
Days after he got it he used it to threaten a friend in a dispute over $20. He was turned away from getting his methadone dose because he possessed a gun, according to court documents.
Before the trial, Vigil’s attorneys indicated he planned to use an insanity defense.
Vigil was diagnosed with bipolar disorder with manic episodes and psychotic features and was unable to appreciate the wrongfulness of his actions that day, according to his defense.
On the first day of the trial in Portland Judge Michael Mosman conducted a hearing in a sealed courtroom and determined Vigil was competent to stand trial.
The chief executive officer of Wildhorse, Gary George said when Vigil pleaded guilty that, “We are very proud of the response of our employees who were faced with this challenging situation more than three years ago.”
The case was investigated by the FBI and the Umatilla Tribal Police Department, with the assistance of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Hermiston Police Department, the Pendleton Police Department, Oregon State Police, Umatilla County Sheriff’s Office, and Morrow County Sheriff’s Office.
© 2026 Tri-City Herald (Kennewick, Wash.). Visit www.tri-cityherald.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
