Thomas Tonar, 61, worked for Nevada’s Dotty’s Casino locations throughout the state, and as part of a joint police effort, was arrested while on the run with the ill-gotten gains.

A casino employee has been sentenced to prison for embezzling three-quarters of a million dollars: https://t.co/H4ybeMXFRe pic.twitter.com/Tiwo2uRCKc

— Washoe County DA (@WashoeCoDA) December 29, 2025

Upon his arrest, the officers found Tonar in possession of the lion’s share of the funds and carrying multiple firearms.

Man arrested was on the run for Dotty’s casino embezzlement

The Washoe County District Attorney’s Office published a statement about Tonar and the illegal pocketing of the proceeds in the run-up to his apprehension.

Security camera image shows a man handling cash inside a back-office area. Credit: Washoe County District Attorney’s Office

The statement said that Sparks Police Department officers were called to Tonar’s employer’s location in 2025 amid speculation that he was stealing money. CCTV video then confirmed that Tonar had been taking money from multiple Dotty’s Casino office locations.

“Detectives from both Sparks and Reno Police joined together on the case and discovered that the defendant had embezzled from six different locations, taking a total of $714,713.59,” said the District Attorney’s Office.

The man had tried to escape the state with the proceeds of his continued theft and was later arrested by police .

“Tonar then drove out of state and into California,” read the release. “He was arrested a few days later at a motel in Sacramento in a joint operation by law enforcement. A search of his belongings recovered $677,069 of the stolen money and three guns.”

Tonar’s sentence was handed down by presiding Judge Barry Breslow for four counts of embezzlement valued at $100,000 or greater, and two counts of embezzlement valued under $100,000.

The total sentence for Tonar was reported to be between eight and thirty years in prison.

In related news surrounding a casino robbery, three individuals were arrested after a coercive hotel room crime. The man and two women were given multiple charges for the intimidation and threat to life with a knife to a patron of the Bally’s Twin River resort.

Featured image: Washoe County District Attorney’s Office

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Louis Grant Peterson, who also went by “Chip Peterson,” is 61 and formerly owned Legacy Siding and Windows, an exterior construction company based in Ankeny. Prosecutors say Peterson collected hundreds of thousands of dollars in deposits from customers for home improvement projects he never finished. He later told the FBI that he spent much of that money on gambling and other personal expenses.

Ankeny Man Sentenced to Three Years’ Imprisonment for Bankruptcy Fraud https://t.co/ddb1hfUE7S

— US Attorney Office – Southern District of Iowa (@USAO_SDIA) December 23, 2025

Court records also show this wasn’t the first time Peterson had run into trouble. In 2024, he was convicted of theft in Woodbury County after taking more than $50,000 upfront for construction work that was never done.

Unfavorable reviews show pattern of behavior

According to a Yelp review, one user met with Peterson in Des Moines in 2017. They later sent a deposit to start repairs, however, they added: “The job never got finished and we were told that they did not use all of our money that his partner scammed him and we would need to wait until Chip got everything straightened out with the courts. We have not heard anything and the job is not finished. The last [conversation] was in 2019.”

Similar reviews were seen on the company’s Facebook page, however, they have not been independently verified.

Social media users describe alleged unpaid work and complaints involving contractor Chip Peterson. Credit: Facebook / Legacy Siding and Windows

Ankeny contractor admits gambling away customer funds in federal fraud case

After racking up nearly $1 million in unsecured debt, Peterson filed for bankruptcy protection. But during those proceedings, he made several false statements about his job, businesses, income, bank accounts, tools, equipment, electronics, and jewelry. Investigators said Peterson later admitted he had “no idea” where the income figures he reported came from and acknowledged that he hadn’t paid taxes for several years.

Federal court judgment shows Louis Grant Peterson pleaded guilty to false declaration in bankruptcy.

Authorities also said that even after he was federally indicted, Peterson took a $17,000 deposit for a window installation job he never completed. The money was eventually returned after the victims filed a complaint with the Iowa Attorney General’s Office.

The case was announced by U.S. Attorney David C. Waterman of the Southern District of Iowa. The FBI investigated the case with help from the Office of the United States Trustee, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Lubben prosecuted it.

Featured image: Legacy Siding and Windows via NextDoor

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Allan Wood, 59, from Saltersgate in Ellesmere Port, appeared at Liverpool Crown Court on Tuesday (December 23) after admitting to four counts of fraud by abuse of position linked to his role at Cammell Laird.

The case first came to light in January 2021, when the allegations were reported to Merseyside Police, triggering an investigation by their Economic Crime Team.

As detectives dug into the company’s finances, they uncovered the scale of the fraud. Over more than a decade, Wood siphoned off an eye-watering amount of money from his employer.

Finance director Allan Wood moved money into accounts for gambling and personal spending

Between 2007 and 2008 alone, he dishonestly redirected company funds for his own benefit, moving more than £1.5 million ($2 million) into personal accounts and using company money to pay off his personal credit card bills.

On top of that, Wood signed off on more than £315,000 ($426,000) in what was described as “unauthorised corporate entertainment,” spending company cash on himself, friends, and family. This included charging the firm for tickets to the Champions League final and football season tickets. According to the Liverpool Echo, when questioned later, he even came up with a far-fetched claim that the spending was connected to suspected spying within the company.

Altogether, his actions left Cammell Laird out of pocket by £1,870,243.

At the time the fraud was taking place, the company was already under serious financial pressure. Board members had to put in large sums of their own money just to keep things afloat, while staff faced the very real threat of layoffs and strike action.

Wood was sentenced to five years and three months in prison.

Detective Constable Laura Madden, who led the investigation, said: “This fraud placed a business under significant financial pressure, causing distress and worry to all employees. Let’s not also forget the impact it would have had on their families as many feared for their jobs.

“This impact was clearly lost on Wood and he will now be left to consider the full consequences of his actions while he serves time in prison.

“Fraud can and does devastate individuals and businesses, and thankfully Wood has now been prevented from causing any more harm.”

Featured image: Merseyside Police

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36-year-old Michael Anthony Houser has been sentenced to a total of 106 months in prison for one count of theft concerning programs receiving federal funds and one count of tax fraud. In addition, he must pay $17,337,949.50 in restitution to the Muscogee (Creek) Nation and $8,205,834.00 in restitution to the Internal Revenue Service.

Houser pled guilty to the charges levelled by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma on February 20, 2025. An investigation by the FBI has revealed that the Oklahoma resident embezzled and obtained fraud property while working as a manager for the Muscogee Nation Gaming Enterprises.

“I am proud of the work conducted by our special agents in this case to ensure that justice was brought to the Muscogee (Creek) Nation,” said Special Agent in Charge Kyle Smith at the Oklahoma Field Office. “The US Secret Service at its origin was created to identify, monitor and bring to justice those who seek to defraud.

“Protecting our communities here in Oklahoma is a mission we take very seriously, and I am grateful for the strong partnership we share with the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation as we work together to bring fraudsters to justice.”

From theft to tax fraud

In doing so, Houser went on to embezzle $24,907,436.07 between July 2016 and February 2024, made up of funds owned by and under the control of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation and its agencies, all of which are program that were receiving federal funds. This led to the theft charge.

In addition, Houser didn’t disclose the stolen funds as taxable income, leading to the second charge of tax fraud. In the 2022 tax year, Houser failed to report $7,851,027,28 in income, with his fraudulent tax filings amounting to $8,205,834.00.

“Stealing from the community you are entrusted to serve is a serious betrayal,” said Christopher J. Altemus Jr., Special Agent in Charge at the IRS Criminal Investigation Dallas Field Office. “Mr. Houser’s crimes harmed the Muscogee (Creek) Nation and undermined trust in public and tribal institutions.

“By stealing from the Muscogee (Creek) Nation and falsifying his tax return, Mr. Houser not only defrauded his employer but also the American public. The women and men of IRS-CI are proud to have worked alongside the U.S. Secret Service and the US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma to uncover this fraud and hold Mr Houser accountable for his crimes.”

Being cash-based business, tribal gambling companies have formed the backdrop of tax fraud before, as with this case with the Mashpee tribe.

Featured image: Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY 2.5

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Marie Thompson, 29, has been jailed for three years and four months after an investigation by South Yorkshire Police’s Professional Standards Department (PSD), as detailed in a report from the police force. The former police constable was found guilt of blackmailing a suspect in one of her own cases.

In 2023, Thompson, who was working in Doncaster, anonymously reached out to a suspect she was investigating. She used a fake email account to attempt to force a £3,500 ($4,600) ransom from the suspect to keep the allegations against them quiet.

The suspect took the blackmail to the police, with the case then allocated to Thompson as it was thought to be connected to her ongoing investigation. Thompson recorded false notes that the suspect did not want to pursue further steps in the investigation.

Another anonymous email was sent by Thompson a few days later, under the subject line: “I’m so sorry.” The email said that the sender was desperate, apologized for the previous blackmail attempt, and promised to stop all contact. Suspicions were nonetheless raised against Thompson, leading to a PSD investigation and then her arrest in October 2023.

Thompson was still in her probation period with South Yorkshire Police and was immediately suspended upon her arrest. Further investigation from PSD found that the emails had been sent from her personal laptop and that Thompson was in “significant debt through gambling”, although the exact amount is not publicly known.

Police officer charged and sentenced

After pleading guilty at Leeds Crown Court on September 4, Thompson was sentenced to three years and four months in prison for blackmail and perverting the course of justice. She has also been served with a Regulation 13 notice, which deems her unfit to serve as a police officer.

“Thompson’s crimes are shameful and cast a shadow over the excellent work being delivered for our communities by policing colleagues driven by fairness, integrity and trust,” said Detective Constable Alexandra Furniss, the officer in charge of this case.

“There is no place in our force for police officers who fail to live and work by our values and standards. Our work to root out these individuals continues in our tireless bid to ensure our force builds and maintains the trust and confidence of the public.”

A similar story was reported last month in Australia’s New South Wales, where a police officer sold gold bars to fund his gambling debts.

Featured image: South Yorkshire Police

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