Indictment expected in casino theft

Bill Gang

Wednesday, Oct. 28, 1998 | 11:46 a.m.

The systematic theft of more than $1 million from Binion's Horseshoe hotel-casino between 1995 and 1997 was expected to result today in the indictment of former casino employee Rita Kolstad.

A Clark County Grand Jury heard testimony Tuesday and voted on the case against Kolstad, a slot booth cashier who already is facing a lawsuit over the missing million filed by the Horseshoe's insurance company.

That civil action, filed in July by Great American Insurance Co. attorney Gary Moss, is still in the evidence-gathering stage and no trial date has been set.

An arraignment date on the criminal case will be set after the indictment is formally returned in District Court. Kolstad is represented by attorney Lamond Mills.

Kolstad resigned from her job in June 1997, shortly before casino auditors discovered the missing funds.

The charges allege that money transfer and credit slips were removed from both the slot booth and the cage, delaying detection of the missing funds for nearly two years.

Kolstad also is alleged to have signed for change cart cash that was not delivered to the casino cashier's cage.

According to court documents, Great American reimbursed the downtown casino for $750,000 of its loss and is seeking compensation in the lawsuit for that plus punitive damages.