LAS VEGAS (KSNV) — A former employee is accused of stealing more than $770,000 from a Las Vegas Strip resort over the course of several months, according to an arrest report.
Brandon Johnson was arrested last week and has been charged with 13 counts related to theft, including two for at least $100,000.
In their arrest report for Johnson, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police say investigators with MGM Resorts reached out to their financial crimes unit in July to report an employee was conducting fraudulent refunds.
MGM found that a single credit card number was being entered into the reservation system for Aria to complete refunds from previous guest stays. An initial company audit determined the loss was $773,206 and the investigation identified Johnson as the employee responsible. That number later rose to more than $776,000 following an internal investigation.
An attorney for Johnson did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment.
MGM first hired Johnson in 2007. He left his role but was rehired in 2013 and held the position of hotel operations manager, according to the report.
An Aria manager noticed in July that Johnson was suddenly buying expensive dinners, a new home and luxury vacations, police were told. The manager found that Johnson completed several refunds in the system, and MGM Resorts began an internal investigation. The company determined Johnson completed 309 refunds over the course of a year.
LVMPD got a subpoena for Johnson's bank records and found he was spending large amounts of money at luxury retail stores like Louis Vuitton and Versace. He was also making transfers between different accounts, ranging from $100 to $160,000.
While the investigation was ongoing, Johnson quit his job. Police say that as they tried to contact him for an interview, a law group reached out to a detective and said Johnson would surrender. He turned himself in at LVMPD headquarters on Sept. 1 and declined to be interviewed.
Court records indicate Johnson is being held at Clark County Detention Center on $100,000 bail. If he posts bond, he would be released on high-level electronic monitoring.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Sept. 19.
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