Adam G. Johnson, a 43-year old assistant manager at the Ballo restaurant in Connecticut’s Mohegan Sun Casino, has been charged with embezzling US$103 568 from his workplace over the last four years.
Johnson has been charged with one count of first-degree larceny. His attorney has stated that he has entered a not guilty plea for the charge. If he is convicted, the former assistant manager faces up to 20 years in prison as well as a possible US$15 000 fine.
Restaurant Manager Denies Gambling Caused Theft
There has been some dispute over Johnson’s reasons to embezzle funds from his former employer. Johnson himself initially told police that he took money while totalling the restaurant’s receipts. He said that he also shared cash with other employees and mostly used the cash for family expenses.
However, Connecticut’s The Day newspaper paints Johnson is a less wholesome light. The newspaper suggests that the former manager’s main reason for stealing the money was his gambling habit. Johnson’s colleagues have indicated that he would frequently gamble before and after his daily shift.
How Johnson Allegedly Embezzled the Money
Investigators revealed that Johnson was able to steal cash from his employers right under their noses by voiding charges on restaurant tabs that had been paid in cash. Alternatively, he would also enter expired promotional codes on the establishment’s “point of sale” system.
Johnson initially started by taking off small amounts off bills, stealing a total of US$2 134 in 2015. Each year it escalated further, eventually reaching $63 370 in 2018 – the year Johnson was caught. It is estimated that he altered at total of 1 304 bills by voiding 4 603 items. He stated that his most profitable periods were over weekends in which he would earn between US$150 and US$800.
The criminal case will continue on 14 March in the New London Superior Court. For more of the latest casino news, keep it here at CasinoUS.com.
