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Blotter: South Dakota casino manager sentenced for theft
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Katie Lynn Stone of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, was sentenced to seven years in state prison for stealing more than US$40,000 from the VIP Casino where she worked as a manager. Judge Patricia Riepel also ordered her to repay the stolen funds. According to prosecutors, Ms. Stone stole the money from March to July of 2009 to cover debts she accrued from her own compulsive gambling problem.
When she appeared before Judge Riepel for sentencing, Ms. Stone said that she took the money both to support her young family and to continue her gambling addiction as she pleaded for a lighter sentence. Judge Riepel noted that Ms. Stone was in a treatment program to deal with gambling addiction, but left before the program finished and did not seek out additional counseling or treatment.
Although the sentence is for seven years, Judge Riepel ordered that three of those seven be suspended and that she continue to seek treatment for her addiction. Mike Miller, Ms. Stone's defense attorney, said that his client "realizes (that gambling) is an addiction and (that) she needs help" to overcome her issues. He also cited her "family support" and reiterated that she needed "professional help" to deal with her problem gambling.
Rick Law, owner of the VIP Casino, said that Ms. Stone's thefts during the summer created a hostile work environment and stirred up an air of distrust among employees. He also stated that the theft caused major damage to the company, pushing it to "the brink of the abyss" due to the misplaced revenue. Ms. Stone issued a personal apology to Mr. Law for her actions, but no reports have surfaced on Mr. Law's response.
Judge Riepel was not in an altogether forgiving mood at the sentencing hearing. She said that Ms. Stone had to know about the effects her thefts would have on the company's bottom line, "but (she) kept doing it" over the course of two months. No announcement has been made on when Ms. Stone will begin serving her sentence.
09-Feb-2010, 08:28
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