Choctaw Casino Ex-Worker Allegedly Stole $10K from Oklahoma Gaming Venue

Posted on: August 2, 2022, 10:45h. 

Last updated on: August 2, 2022, 12:56h.

Ed Silverstein @casinoorgedsilv Read More
Expertise: Legal, Tribal Gaming.

A former employee at Durant, Okla.’s Choctaw Casino allegedly swiped $10,000 from the property’s vault in October. He is now facing court proceedings, KXII, a local TV station, reported.

Choctaw Casino & Resort – Durant
Choctaw Casino & Resort – Durant, pictured above. A former casino worker allegedly stole money at the venue. (Image: Choctaw Nation)

Gregory Caleb Perry, 37, formerly worked as the vault clerk at the casino, which gave him access to the money stored in the vault.

According to court documents, Perry allegedly stole 100 $100 bills and stuffed them into his shirt. After the theft, he allegedly put some of the money into a bank account belonging to his girlfriend, Mitsy McCulley.

Perry then spent some of the loot on gambling, court costs, fines, restaurant meals, bars, medical bills, and a stay at the Choctaw Casino Resort. He allegedly spent between $500 and $600 of the money at the casino. He also spent $80 on drinks at the Mason Jar Bar, KXII said.

His charges are not immediately available.

The Choctaw Casino is operated by the Choctaw Nation. It is believed to be the third-largest Indian nation in the US. The nation has more than 200,000 tribal members and more than 11,000 employees.

Mississippi Casino Theft

In an unrelated case, Reginal Brown, 36, a former employee of the Pearl River Resort — Silver Star Casino in Mississippi, pled guilty to theft by an employee of a gaming establishment on Indian lands in April. He will avoid prison time but must pay a fine.

Brown was a banquet server at the Silver Star Hotel & Casino. Between January and May 2016, Brown used his password to steal approximately $10,800 from the cash recyclers in the casino, Mississippi Acting US Attorney Darren J. LaMarca said in a statement.

Brown was sentenced to five years of probation last month. He must also pay $10,800 in restitution, based on the sentence imposed by federal District Court Judge Kristi H. Johnson. Brown faced a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $1,000,000 fine, LaMarca said.

The Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians operates the casino.

Minnesota Case

In March 2021, a former tribal casino supervisor pleaded guilty to embezzling more than $300,000 from Minnesota’s Fortune Bay Resort Casino during a nearly seven-year span.

Jennifer Lynn Boutto, 32, of Orr, Minn., was sentenced to eight months in prison for embezzlement and theft of tribal funds. She was also placed on one year of supervised release. Boutto must also provide full restitution of the $315,739.87 to the tribe.

Boutto said while working at Fortune Bay Resort Casino, owned and operated by the Bois Forte Band of Chippewa, she executed nearly 3,000 fraudulent transactions for her financial gain.

As a front-desk supervisor, Boutto issued cash refunds to customers without direct supervision. Boutto confessed that she stole money by issuing false cash refunds against the invoices of previous Fortune Bay customers. She admitted to retrieving the refunds but kept the cash for herself.