A Sun Valley man has been sentenced to 30 years in prison, after stealing more than three-quarters of a million dollars from local casinos. Thomas Tonar (dob 6/20/64) was given 6-20 years concurrent for four counts of Embezzlement, Value $100,000 or Greater and a consecutive 2-10 years for two counts of Embezzlement, Value Under $100,000. In aggregate, the sentence is 8- 30 years.
Tonar was an employee with Dotty’s Casino back in 2025, and officers with the Sparks Police Department were called to one of their locations in June of that year for the report of embezzlement. Surveillance videos provided by the casino showed Tonar stealing money from the office, as well as doing the same thing at other Dotty’s 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.
Tonar then drove out of state and into California, where 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.
At sentencing, Chief Deputy District Attorney Amos Stege touched on the wide importance and impact of gaming in Nevada and the greed motive for the crime. Victims who spoke focused on the impact of employees, including many who rely on tips. The Honorable Barry Breslow presided and imposed the sentence.
