you'll find more information about this undercover operation on our website. log ont dateline.msnbc.com. that's all for now. i'm chris hanson. from all of us on nbc news, thanks for joining us. this may not be the las vegas you know. >> this is the underbelly. an underworld filled with criminals. with undercover cops trying to catch those crooks. >> i told them to go pretty much [ bleep ] themselves. catch me if you can. >> in this episode, police set up a sting. a fake fencing operation for stolen goods.

with hidden cameras rolling. >> really a seminar, kind of undercover. >> the bad guys unwittingly divulge in frightening detail when they commit their crime. then we confront them in jail to dig deeper into the mind of a criminal. >> i've never been caught in a sting operation. >> you're about to be. >> it's real. >> this is the most expensive car anybody has ever brought us. >> it's revealing. >> and it's raw. >> hello and welcome to vegas under cover raw. i'm chris hansen. las vegas is a city like any other with blitz and around the clock action. it's no wonder it's been called an adult playground. men and women tasked with

protecting both its citizens and tourists alike are presented with enormous challenges. as you can see they take those challenges head on. we were given access to undercover sting operation specifically designed to take some of the biggest criminals off the streets. until now a very small percentage of that footage has ever been broadcast. these raw tapes able to give you a fascinating look into a rarely seen criminal world. >> the storefront operation is essentially a place they bring stolen items and sell them. >> the theory is that there are hundreds if not thousands of people in this town who make their living by getting up every morning and figuring out a crime to commit. if the police could put together

a storefront operation, fencing operation and get word out on the streets this is the place to bring stolen goods, cars, guns to counterfeit money, have the criminals bring in more criminals and essentially identify this huge pool of bad people and catch them in a sting operation and off the street. >> a nightmare. >> todd is a pretty significant player in this operation. pretty much he's one of those narratives throughout the investigation. he's there for a long time and brings in a lot of vehicles. >> one dude i was in prison with, did a little time with him, drove the mustang, cobra. is he here yet? >> i have two malibus. >> todd comes in with a virtual used car lot. he's got a chevy, a scion, a

bentley. this is like a $250,000 car. >> is this yours? >> all these cars. >> well, i mean, i just deal with certain people. i make a few bucks right now. >> are you a jump through the window. you said you have a title and keys. >> they got all that. >> this is their [ bleep ]. >> todd basically says, hey, i'm not stealing these. i'm just doing a friend a favor. i know a guy. he's got a car. i know where to take it and sell it. i'll just the middleman. >> in spite of claiming he's just the middleman, he does get his cut. he takes a percentage of the money. >> how do you want to do this, bro. >> comes in with five cars. like within days he comes in

with two more. >> he's been driving all night. >> right then these guys know this is somebody they need to focus on. >> dual batteries. >> but he's very likely connected to other crooks in town who they want to get off the street. >> there is a very noticeable change in todd as you follow him through this undercover investigation. it's all captured on video. you can tell he's having problems in the beginning. but as time goes by, you can see that he's more agitated, he's more anxious, almost as if, you know, he's suffering from an addiction that is slow ly chokig him. >> see this jacket he's got on. it's so bad, dude.

>> i think when investigators see somebody like that who is going downhill or having problems. >> it's a threat. >> they do get concerned about that. this person has less of a grasp on reality. they might be more strung out, might be going through withdrawal. when you mix all that together, it's a dangerous situation. it's something they factor into everything they do. >> these are dangerous people. >> because of the nature of the operation we blur the faces of the undercover officers for their protection. >> absolutely. absolutely. we've got people selling guns. we've got people bragging about doing home invasions burglaries. they could be talking a big game but you don't know what you're dealing with brf how much background do you have when they come in, if any? >> none.

>> do any get suspicious when they come in here? >> absolutely. i've had people tell me i must be a cop because i'm too tall, my teeth are too white i i'm in too good a shape. they sometimes ask you about drug use to see if you know street lingo. a lot of people get really suspicious. >> but they will come back? >> absolutely. >> and take the money. >> after guys like todd are essentially caught on camera admitting their crime, they are allowed to go out and continue committing these crimes because the police want to get as many people and as much evidence as possible. to build a case. they want to infiltrate this criminal world and let the investigation run as long as it continues to be productive without the danger. eventually after a year when

they decide to shut down the fake fencing operation and round up the suspects. >> do you have anything sharp on you? >> no. >> i'm there to confront them to find out what they were thinking. >> what effect does it have on you when you inject speed? coming up, todd in custody. and the front is open for business. >> twice? >> three times. >> word is out on the street. you'll meet some creative criminals. >> cashiers wearing white gloves. >> watch raw video, dangerous situations. understand how the criminal mind works. >> i haven't hurt anybody advicely. i don't have any violence on my record. vegas undercover raw continues.

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>> the storefront operated for the better part of a year. some 40 criminals, 100 crimes. very successful. once the cops sit down the front, they now have to stage this massive operation to round up all the people they have caught committing crimes. >> tell whitney i love her. >> and they have to do it almost instantaneously, because word travels fast. in this community. they have to have dozens of officers sweep in at the same time at multiple locations. they bring them all in to be interrogated. some we had a chance to talk to as they were coming in. some we had a chance to talk to after they had been interviewed. hey, todd, how are you doing? we're doing a story on an investigation conducted by vegas metro police. >> okay. >> there's evidence that you

were bringing in stolen cars to be sold. do you know anything about that? >> no. have you ever sold any stolen cars before? >> no. >> do you know anything about stolen car rings. >> no. >> todd starts out denying he had any involvement in any sort of stolen car, but he does admit to getting himself in trouble. >> what are you hoping for? >> i'm hoping i get a chance at my life again. i went to prison for some drug charges. i got out. i did a real stringent drug program, did really well. went back to work with the union and was doing really well. >> what kind of work were you doing with the union? >> carpet layer. i'm good at what i was doing. i got out, three years sober. i was doing really well.

lo and behold, i never slammed it intravenously, never messed with that at all. >> talking about heroin? no, speed. >> inject speed? >> it's the worst drug. >> inject speed. you don't hear about that. is that common? >> pretty much. >> this past eight months of my life that been [ bleep ]. i quit going to work. first it started with the meetings. next thing you know i'm drinking, next thing you know i'm smoking, next thing i know i'm slamming it out of the blue. i don't do that. that's not who i am. >> what effect does it have on you when you inject speed into your body. it's got to be a really intense high. >> yeah, it's bad. i'm not that person. i'm not that [ bleep ] person. i am not that person. the person i am, i've got three

children that are almost grown, you know. i really took care of my family. you know what i mean? this past eight months of my life has been -- i'm glad to be in jail but i'm not glad. i did some things, you know, that i'm paying for right now. i'm sure i deserve it. i can't expect not to be punished for it. but at the same time, i need help. >> i need to go back over the first part of our conversation, because there's evidence that you did get involved in selling some stolen cars in an undercover sting operation. >> i was no part of an undercover sting operation. >> i'm not saying you helped the police with the undercover sting operation i'm saying you were in an under cover sting operation. >> i was never in an undercover

sting operation. >> you're about to be. can i show you the tape. >> first thing i've seen you in here. i don't know [ bleep ]. >> look at me. >> you look like you're in tough shape. >> sad. >> where did you get the cars. >> i don't know where the cars were from. i was just the middleman. >> where did you get the cars is what i'm asking? >> people -- >> somebody steals the car. >> somebody steals the car. look, i -- >> they come to you because you are known on the street as somebody who can fence the car. >> i didn't drive the cars, i didn't do anything with cars. i knew these people, met these people through somebody else. >> i was just the middleman. >> how much did you make off of

that? >> that wasn't my money. >> so when you take your vig off of it and give it to the thief basically. >> basically there was only a couple of times i had my hands on the money first. for the most part -- wow. >> how did you even know to go to the store front to begin with? how did you find out about it? worth of mouth? >> you see what i'm saying. how did you even know to go there? >> a friend of mine. >> a friend of yours. >> not even a friend. >> just a guy you knew. >> a guy i just met. >> how many times do you suppose you went to that storefront? >> oh, my god, i don't know. four or five times. >> each team you were the middleman in a deal to sell a stolen car? >> uh-huh.

>> i'm struggling to get by and get out of what i got myself into. right now, until i came down here for this, i was really thinking i had a chance at my life again. paern i'm not going to have. >> who do you blame for this? >> i can't blame nobody for any of this except myself. >> where do you go from here? >> i don't know. probably prison for a long time. >> is that the right thing? >> i deserve to be punished. i'm sure of it. >> when you have a guy like this, todd, who was pretty confident, cocky, if you will, when you see them on that investigative video in the storefront. now they know they are caught.

they have seen themselves. they are behind bars. they are a little less brave now. i think in many cases they have been locked up long enough to clean themselves up from whatever drug they might have been using and have a clearer look at things and realize how messed up they are and how they messed up. they come to this realization in realtime. it's a very emotional moment. >> listen, todd, i appreciate you talking to me. >> how much trouble am i in? >> todd pleads guilty to several charges, burglary and possession

of stolen vehicles. he's sentenced to 9.5 to 26 years in prison. coming up, a man comes into the front, the talent they never expected. >> seminar how to make $100 bills. >> to my knowledge, that's never been seen on television before. things go from riveting to risky in an instant. >> when vegas undercover raw continues. and now you're at it again. scott: (chuckles) indeed, a crucial late spring feeding helps defend the grass against the summer heat to come. nbr: we knew that - right guys? oh yeah! scott: feed your lawn. feed it! don't just visit rome.

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we're in an industrial shop in the shadow of the las vegas strip. investigators made this set, if you will, expressly for this investigation. typically the crooks come in, the deal goes down right there. the investigator is on that side posing as the fence. they negotiate, whether for a stolen car or a piece of electronics. there is a camera hidden right here. there's another camera hidden right there. here in this room it's pretty much the control room.

sits here. of course this is the investigator's screen. they can see what's going on. you have multiple monitors here that show what the cameras are seeing outside. >> do you want a beer? >> sure. why not? >> a foster's or bud light. >> rusty is right near the top of all the visitors at the storefront. >> rusty's talents are unique. most of the other people caught up in the fencing operation were fencing symptomen items. >> he is a counterfeiter. what rusty does basically is he takes a $5 bill, bleaches it with household chemicals and then uses a kopcopier to create

$100. >> a chemist, came out with the chemical reaction. pour [ bleep ] 15 minutes later it's clean. >> basically rusty is trying to cut a deal in the beginning to sell the undercover investigators counterfeit money. so he wants to bring in $10,000 worth of $100 bills and sell them to the undercover investigators for basically $0.35 on the dollar. he would take $3500 in real money for counterfeit $10,000. >> how much have you got on you? >> real money. >> when are you going to get that? >> i don't know. it's the money. >> he says, look, you want to test them out. here is $2500 in counterfeit

$100s. >> trade them out. you can get rid of them. i can get rid of them all day long. >> the police can tell they are counterfeit. but he is very detailed how how to use this counterfeit money, where to use it, where not to use it. >> i'll be sitting at the convenience store and play and cash out, a couple hundred. they give me the money there. i turn around and walk away. give me a pack of cigarettes. they throw it down. they just gave them to you, so they don't think -- >> right at the moment when rusty gives the investigators the $2,000 in fake $100s, for a second or two they had a hard time discerning which are counterfeit and which are real. >> slight of hands.

>> the real money. >> they had good evidence on rusty right then and there. they broached the subject of him coming back and not just giving them counterfeit money but selling them the equipment to do it on their own. >> once this starts selling smooth, will we ever get to see how it's done? i'm curious. >> had rusty never shown up again, he would have still been arrested for selling counterfeit $100 bills. >> but that wasn't the last of rusty. ultimately they strike a deal. rusty is going to bring in the equipment, do a demonstration and get like $1500. >> so rusty is due back in like 30 minutes. >> remember, for the undercover officers this is dangerous

business. we blur their faces for their protection. afterwards he told them he was carrying a gun. it wasn't the gun that alarmed him. >> last time he was here he had a handgun and an extra clip loaded with cop killer bullets. >> that's the term he used. >> what kind of heartburn does that give you that he comes in armed. >> we're assuming most criminals come in armed. we were prepared to do what we need to do if it presented itself. if it does tonight, we'll do what we need to do. >> rusty comes back to do this demonstration. we're all a little tense because of this fear on the part of the investigators that he might be armed. >> is that a gun right there? a camera to the waistband, you see rusty appears to be carrying a handgun at the foot right there, which is why we're taking

precautions tonight. >> we're all on edge. he's drinking a beer, smokeing a cigarette. all part of the process. >> now rusty with the $5 bill. they use that to make the color. >> this is literally a seminar on how to make confident $100 bills. our hidden camera is there and you can see that piece of paper. see it there. try it and they will be ready to print the $100 bill, counterfeit. >> rusty then using a printer and a scanner imprints on the

fake $5 bill, the front and back of $100 bill. so basically he's making a copy. it looks pretty good. in case you're thinking of trying this at home, you should know we've left out a number of key steps. >> is there any place that you don't want to go. >> walmart trains their employees. cashiers with white gloves. >> rusty seems relaxed. he's there to teach them how to counterfeit money when he starts offering details about his criminal history. >> a long time, a red symbol. trying to pass off bills that were mine. mine had a symbol, a japanese looking symbol. >> autograph. >> a symbol. >> rusty has the attention of

the investigators. he's made two visits. he's sold them a lot of counterfeit $100 bills. he's sold them equipment to make even more. his days are numbered. was it just me or was this guy shifty. he was looking all over this room. >> if i got too far behind him, he kept looking over his shoulder to see what i was doing. >> in the hidden cameras, he had a bulge there. >> mace. >> it was on a chain. he pulled it out. it and to be a can of spray mace. >> if somebody were to hold this up to a light, you could see abraham lincoln and the $5 strip here. >> right. >> most people don't do that. >> most people look to see there's some sort of portrait, a reflection and some sort of strip here. >> why do you think he trusted

you guys? >> honestly, i don't know. i think part of it is a gift of gab. i would add to that, if you have an artist and all these beautiful paintings and no one noticed you painted them, there's no glory in it. i think he wants someone to recognize him and know his work. >> a week from now he won't be a free man? >> no. his house will be raided and he'll be in jail. >> coming up, rusty in custody says the counterfeit cash wasn't the only fake thing in that room. >> this man is quite a catch. >> first of all, this is the most expensive car anybody has ever brought us. >> when vegas undercover raw continues. [ male announcer ] hey, look at you!

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i'm melissa rehberger. here is what's happening.

the obama administration unveiling an ambitious plan monday to cut carbon emissions by 2030. held five years starting a political debate whether u.s. should have negotiated release of taliban followers. it could place other u.s. troops in danger. now back to vegas undercover. welcome back to "vegas undercover: raw." in the footage captured in the police sting operation, we've been able to tell you how suspected criminals acted when they didn't know they had been watched. when i confronted them after they were arrested they had no idea they committed their crimes on tape. it's interesting how many denied what they were doing. that is, um i showed them the video. >> hey, rusty, how are you. >> rusty comes in.

i explain to him who i am, tell him i'd like to ask questions. he says sure, sits down. >> we're doing a story on the investigation run by metro police. >> my job is to get into that person's mind and ask them challenging questions and find out what got them into the situation that they are in. did you go to a storefront business and try to sell counterfeit money. >> no, i didn't go to one, no. i did go to a storefront business but i didn't try to sell anything to them like counterfeit money, no. >> why did you go there? >> why did i go there? >> yeah. >> they contacted me wanting information from me. >> what kind of information did they want? >> they wanted me to divulge information to them. >> about? >> about counterfeit money. >> so did you tell them anything? >> yes. >> what did you tell them? >> just showed them what

somebody had showed me on the internet. >> what was that specifically? >> like how to do it. >> do you know how to do counterfeit money? >> just from what i've read on the internet? >> how does that work if you had to explain it to somebody like me who doesn't know much about it? >> with a printer. >> rusty denies knowing anything about $100 bills, selling equipment to make $100 bills, just absolutely didn't do it, wasn't there. you got the wrong guy. i'm innocent. fine. can i show you the videotape? yes, please. you watch his face as i hit play. he almost looks away because he doesn't want to see it, then he's drawn into it. had he is giving a tutorial on how to make $100 bills. >> there's you right there.

>> before this is all over, you produce a crisp $100 bill. you basically tell them how to do it, and then on top of it how to pass this $100 bill. how it works in casinos, how you can do it in a convenience store. >> right. >> how many of those $100 bills have you made? >> not many. >> that's not what you said here. is that just bs? >> yes. >> why would you say it then? >> just to impress them. >> how much money in reality do you think you made? >> not jack [ bleep ]. >> not jack? >> no. >> seriously. >> give me a ballpark. >> nothing, probably. i haven't passed any of them myself. i never would try. honestly, to look at them, they don't look that real. >> here is one thing you would

say during the meetings that you would put a mark on it. you saw them recirculate around a couple of times when you witnessed a drug deal. that's all just bs. you were trying to be quite the tough guy here. >> i was scared. i didn't know who these guys were either. i had no idea who they were. >> how come you have one wallet for real money and one wallet for counterfeit money. >> that's bs. >> there's a whole lot of bs floating around here. >> a lot of bs. >> rusty, like so many of these guys, tried to downplay what he said during the investigation as bravado, bragging. the truth i'm sure lies someplace in between. rusty strikes a deal avoiding federal charges pleading guilty to conspiracy and sentenced to one to three years. coming up -- a prince of thieves

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word continues to spread that this fencing operation a good place for your goods. a couple of months, j.r. is introduced to officers by todd, who tells him, hey, if you've got place to sell, it's a good place to do it. >> looks like a cop. >> i'm sure that's a cop.

>> >> this the deal straight up. grabbed all the paperwork, left with all the stuff i had. i got home and the titles to these cars because i didn't go to the garage. never go back. i went back. >> j.r. is casing this high-class neighborhood looking for a place to rob. he finds a home, looks like nobody is home. he comes across paperwork for two very expensive cars. one a bentley, one a very rare mustang. >> you went there twice? >> three times. >> j.r. wasn't prepared to steal those cars right then and there. >> the reason i did -- >> more in the expedition.

no, just straight up luck around here, bro. i get pretty lucky. >> just to put it into perspective, you know, the value of the items brought into the fencing operation was something like a million dollars. the j.r. on his own brought in like a quarter of that. >> here is the thing, man, i'm not trying to discredit -- >> this is the most expensive car anybody has brought us. >> so j.r. comes in with this bentley and they don't have enough cash on them to actually buy the thing. the police have a budget. they just can't go on forever buying stolen cars or give thousands of dollars for each one. so they give him a down payment and he comes back to get the rest of the cash money. >> they are worth like $10

billion, so i don't feel feel bad. if it was an average joe -- a lot of money. i don't do stuff like that i have a conscious. a guy with three houses -- >> he's not missing it. >> he cheats people. he doesn't appreciate what he's got. >> j.r. on hidden camera tells the undercover investigators that he has no problem clipping this guy for his bentley and his mustang because he's a rich guy and will never miss it. ironically later when i interview a guy who had the car stolen, he's a self-made millionaire. he started a company with about $250 in his pocket and never looked back. he worked very hard to get those

cars. j.r. sells this car to the police for basically pennies on the dollar. they give him $2500 for a quarter of a million dollar vehicle. but for the police, it's a big score because not only have they gotten somebody's car back, something of great value, but it's great evidence to put j.r. in prison. >> coming up -- >> you didn't steal that bentley? >> no, i didn't steal that bentley. >> j.r. is sticking to his story. when we show him video of this woman also caught in the sting, he gets angry. >> she should have never been involved in nick like this. i did not know she was doing anything like this. >> find out who the mystery woman is when "vegas undercover: raw" continues.

over the course of the las vegas police investigation, 38 criminals came through the door of the fake fencing operation. most of the thieves were trying to sell stolen cars. >> all day long. >> if you go outside in the parking lot and show these morons where the truck is, please. >> some more unusual items made their way to the front, like this grenade. >> right. >> a guy with make big guns. >> in all the cops confiscated a million dollars in stolen goods. amazingly they got more than a quarter of that in one visit.

j.r. brought them a bentley and a rare mustang. we got a chance to talk with suspected criminals after rounded up and arrested, i was curious about the robin hood who boasted he pulled off major heist. >> how did you get into this jam? >> i don't know what scram i'm in to be honest with you. >> let me ask you this, j.r., did you ever take cars to a storefront and sell them there. >> i never personally sold anybody cars. >> did you go there? >> yes. >> what did you do while you were there? >> i talked to a couple of guys. one of the guys wanted me to go in there to take a vehicle to them. he couldn't drive two cars at the same time. i said, sure, i'll go with you. he said i've got the titles. it's legit, i need your help.

i said, okay. i went over with him one time. >> did you -- >> wait a minute. two times. >> two times. what kind of cars did you bring over there. >> i didn't bring any cars. i was there with a friend of mine. i drove up with him to the front of the place. i didn't pick up a car anywhere and deliver it. he had the cars and i went with him to deliver it. >> did you ever get any of the money for these cars? >> i didn't get any money. >> did you bring over a 2008 bentley. >> you did? >> uh-huh. >> those guys gave $2800. >> $200. >> $200 you got. >> i didn't get anything. >> you didn't get anything. just being a good buddy. >> helping my friend. not really a good buddy, just helping drive over there. >> where did that bentley come from? >> i have no idea. >> you didn't steal that bentley. >> no. i didn't steal that bentley.

>> what did you talk about with the guys at the storefront. >> i guess my friend told them i was this big -- >> thief. >> machismo. >> being a burglar isn't something they brag about unless they are burglars and want people to think they are good at their job, right? >> as the interviewer i let him tell the story. i didn't do the sting operation. can't pin it on me. most people can't resist. >> are they some kind of -- who are they? >> it was a sting operation. >> if it was a sting operation i'm busted for going there. i'm sure they had a camera on me. >> in fact, they did. there's videotape. would you like to take a look?

you're bragging there, j.r., about robbing a guy and you don't feel bad about it. you feel like robin hood because the guy is a wealthy man. why did you say stuff -- >> to one person. they could have been tom, dick, and harry. how can they arrest me or hold something against me if there's not a victim. there was no victim there. >> there are victims -- >> apparently somebody had a bentley stolen. >> did you steal the bentley. >> no, i didn't steal the bentley. you asked me that already. >> up to now j.r. sticks with his story. he seems unfazed by the undercover sting video. when i show him video of someone else he knows, that's when he's taken by surprise. '6 . >> who is that? >> that's my daughter. >> that's your daughter? >> i didn't know -- >> you had no idea your daughter

was involved? >> no. >> j.r., how could you not know? >> my daughter did not live with me. my daughter and i had not seen each other for years and years. i had no clue she was even involved with that person that was involved with those people. >> you looked genuinely upset when you saw your daughter there. >> i didn't know this was doing on. >> i understand. >> to put my daughter in something like that, she should have never been involved in anything like this. i did not know she was doing anything like this. >> is she a good kid? >> yeah, she's a good kid. i'm pretty much a good guy. i've never hurt nobody physically. i don't have violence on my record. >> you could go away for a long time on these charges. >> which is not fair. >> j.r., one of the 38 criminals

caught in the net of the las vegas police department remains unapologetic to the end, possibly more upset about his daughter's involvement in the fake fencing operation than his own. according to the sheriff, the sting operation is a huge success. >> when people see this investigation and the unprecedented access, what do you think the takeaway should be? >> i think this reinforces to the public that we're just not out there driving around. we are being proactive. we are being creative. we are doing our level best to keep this community safe. >> what impact do you think that storefront investigation will have? >> what will happen is we'll have to be a little bit better the next time. they will walk through the door. some of them will be asking a

few more questions. maybe it won't be a storefront. maybe it will be some other type of operation we do. make no mistake, we'll be doing it. >> as for j'leon r., he may not have admitted to me he stole the vehicles. he pleads guilty and is sentenced to 10 years to life behind bars. in watching the raw video of our investigations following las vegas police department, two things struck me. one, it really gives a sense that the police are out there doing more than just reacting to criminal activity. they are proactive. there are criminals out there like todd and rusty and j'leon r. who consider their job to commit crimes looking for opportunities every day. the age old tale of cat and mouse, cops and robbers.

the cops are doing their part to stay one step ahead of the robbers. that's all for this edition of "vegas undercover: raw." i'm chris hansen. thanks for watching. due to mature subject matter, viewer discretion is advised. i've been down since 1993 for shooting my mom. >> an inmate with a haunted past forged a brotherhood not often seen in prison. >> they wake me up at 5:00. we have to be at work at 6:00. he wakes me up at 5:00 every morning. >> a more sinister brotherhood attempts to spread its influence.