A man from Sun Valley, Nevada, has been given a custodial sentence for embezzling three-quarters of a million dollars from casino locations where he was employed.
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: 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.
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
