Former Nevada Casino Employee Sentenced Up to 30 Years for Embezzlement

^{Surveillance footage shows Thomas Tonar stealing cash inside a Dotty’s Casino office during an embezzlement investigation in Northern Nevada. (Photo: Our Town Reno on Facebook)}

A former employee at a Northern Nevada casino has been sentenced to up to 30 years in prison after being found guilty of embezzling more than $700,000 from multiple casino locations. 

According to a release from the Washoe County District Attorney’s Office, Thomas Tonar of Sun Valley, Nevada was sentenced on Monday of six to 20 years concurrent on four counts of embezzlement valued at $100,000 or greater. He also received two to 10 years for two counts of embezzlement valued under $100,000 as well. In total, his sentence came to between eight and 30 years. 

Tonar Found in California With Stolen Funds

In June 2025, officers with the Sparks Police Department were called to a Dotty’s Casino location after a report of embezzlement. Surveillance footage showed Tonar stealing money from the casino’s office, and further evidence revealed similar thefts at other Dotty’s Casino locations.

Detectives from Sparks and the Reno Police Department later discovered that Tonar had embezzled funds from six different casino locations, ultimately stealing a total of $714,713.59.

Tonar was arrested a few days later at a motel in Sacramento, California. A search by law enforcement officials found over $677,000 of the stolen money in Tonar’s possession, as well as three firearms.

The sentencing was delivered Monday by judge Barry L. Breslow of the Second Judicial District Court of Nevada. During the sentencing, victims of the embezzlement emphasized how the theft had impacted employees, including those who rely on tips. Chief Deputy District Attorney Amos Stege argued that the crime was motivated by greed and noted the importance of the gaming industry to Nevada.

Embezzlement Cases with Casino Ties

Embezzlement of funds is an ongoing concern for casino operators, and this is not the first major case to be prosecuted this year.

In late May 2025, San Jose police arrested 38-year-old Ellen Mangundayao after receiving a call reporting that she had been stealing chips from the Casino M8trix cardroom in the city. Mangundayao allegedly stole chips from the cardroom over a three-week period in May, giving those chips to her husband, Mark Mangundayao, who would then cash them out. When police searched two homes associated with the couple, they allegedly found around $75,000 in cash along with nearly $10,000 in casino chips. Police said they believed the scheme may have gone on over multiple years.

Other cases of embezzlement and theft are often associated with funding casino gambling. In 2024, Flutter – the parent company of FanDuel – apologized for not doing enough to prevent customers with gambling problems from using embezzled funds to play on its online gambling platforms, including in the dramatic case where a finance manager for the Jacksonville Jaguars embezzled $20 million from the NFL team before spending most of it at FanDuel.