Gambling Metropolis Las Vegas: Hotel Manager Steals Over

More luxurious lifestyles made colleagues skeptical

The hotel manager, Brandon Rashaad Johnson, 38, is said to be, according to one Las Vegas Review-Journal report [Link to English] have been charged with 15 counts. He is accused of having posted over 770,000 US dollars (720,000 euros) in alleged refunds not to the customers' accounts, but to his own credit card.

He has worked as a hotel manager at the Aria Resort & Casino for 10 years. A work colleague is said to have noticed Johnson's luxurious lifestyle at the beginning of November 2023. He is said to have taken expensive vacations and flown on a private jet. He also shopped at Louis Vuitton and Versace.

The colleague became suspicious when he asked Johnson about his lifestyle and he explained that he worked part-time as a private chef for a very wealthy clientele. However, Johnson never mentioned beforehand that he could cook at all. The colleague is said to have taken a closer look at Johnson's transactions in the hotel.

Over 300 transactions posted to private credit card

The work colleague, also a manager at the hotel, is said to have started taking a closer look at the transactions booked by Johnson at the end of November 2023. He discovered that a total of 309 refunds had been posted to the same credit card. At first there were only individual transactions - but over the period of a year, more and more payments are said to have been posted to Johnson's private credit card.

He then informed his superior, who is said to have started an internal investigation. Just four days later, Johnson is said to have given notice in writingigt because he had probably become suspicious. On July 27, 2023, the hotel informed the police about the incident.

“It is common for criminals to move money between accounts to make it more difficult to trace the fraudulent funds and also to make the stolen money appear legitimate.”Detective, Metro Police, Las Vegas Review Journal

The police investigation is said to have confirmedigt that Johnson actually transferred the money to his own account. He is then said to have distributed it across various accounts.

Aria Resort & Casino: Luxury hotel on the Las Vegas Strip

The Aria Resort & Casino opened in 2009: It is located on the world-famous Las Vegas Strip, known for its impressive buildings and many casino hotels. The Aria is one of the most striking buildings in the CityCenter, a complex of over 300,000 m2.

The Aria has a total of 3,436 guest rooms and 568 suites and is ranked ninth in the world for hotels with the most rooms. The building's 61-story casino has hosted the Poker Masters and the US Poker Open in recent years.

15 charges: Johnson is in custody

At the end of August, the law firm Las Vegas Defense Group reportedly contacted the police because it was representing Johnson in the case. He is said to have turned himself in on September 1st and has been in custody ever since.

He is to be charged with a total of 5 counts: theft, money laundering and computer crime. A first hearing in the case is scheduled to take place on September 19th.

Gambling metropolis Las Vegas: Hotel manager steals over 720,000 euros from Aria Resort & Casino