Beau Rivage Casino auto thief gets the maximum sentence. What happened?

A woman charged with two counts of auto theft, including one vehicle taken from the Beau Rivage Casino, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison.

Bonnie Jean Jackson Gebbia, 42, pleaded guilty to stealing two vehicles last week.

The first incident happened in February 2022, when Gebbia stole a 2011 Ford Explorer. The Hancock County Sheriff’s Office recovered the vehicle and surveillance of Gebbia an hour later at a Diamondhead Dollar General.

The second theft occurred at Beau Rivage Casino on Aug. 16, 2022.

“Biloxi investigators quickly obtained surveillance of the incident, which showed the Defendant and two accomplices working in concert to steal the truck,” said District Attorney W. Crosby Parker in a media release.

Gebbia was spotted back at Beau Rivage less than two weeks after the incident. She was arrested after fleeing and hiding under the I-110 bridge.

After the guilty plea, Gebbia’s request for a house arrest was denied. Judge Larry Bourgeois cited Gebbia’s criminal history and sentenced her to 10 years for each case, to run concurrently.

This story was originally published October 10, 2023 at 12:52 PM.

Mona Moore

Sun Herald

Mona Moore was a Service Journalism Desk Editor for the Sun Herald in Mississippi; Mahoning Matters in Ohio; and the Ledger-Enquirer and Telegraph in Georgia. Originally from West Covina, California, she holds a bachelor’s and master’s in corporate and public communication from the University of South Alabama. Mona’s writing and photography have been recognized by press associations in Mississippi, North Carolina and Florida.