Manuel Hidalgo was an attorney for the Buena Suerte Group in Miami, Florida. He also served as a courier who made deliveries of cash to Vincent Grimaldi at the Cleopatra Casino and Resort using the alias Diego Hernandez, and posing as a baccarat player from Houston, Texas.
In late 2000, he was targeted for a heist by an insider at the Cleopatra, and was later robbed by Cassie Black. He was found shot to death in Suite 2014 the next morning by director of casino operations Vincent Grimaldi.