Guilty Plea Connected to Massive Theft From Rochester Business
Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News) - One of the three men charged with the theft of tens of thousands of dollars from a Rochester bowling alley has admitted to the crime.
Criminal complaints filed in Olmsted County Court last November alleged that 53-year-old Timothy Donald Arnold, 35-year-old Pheerayout See, and 38-year-old Ravuth Thorng carried out a theft scheme for about a year while they were employees of Colonial Lanes. Court documents indicate the northwest Rochester business contacted Rochester police last July to report a theft.
Police say the theft scheme involved more than $45,000.
According to the criminal complaint, the responding officer learned that three employees had allegedly stolen a total of $45,720 by skimming money nightly from the ATM deposit. The charges allege that Arnold was responsible for more than $37,000 in ATM deposit inconsistencies, with the remainder tied to See and Thorng.
The court document says police were told that Arnold would play the electronic pull tab gambling machines at the business without depositing money. The criminal complaint says See and Thorng told investigators that Arnold would "pocket money designated for transfer to the ATM or use register money to cover the E-tab shortages that he created." Thorng, according to the court document, also stated that he and See "fudged the numbers"to cover for Arnold's theft.
The criminal complaint states that an investigator spoke with Arnold on the phone and he denied creating E-tab shortages and taking money for personal gain, but he admitted taking money from the register and fraudulently ringing in ATM transfers.
Specifically in Thorng's case, it is alleged that he completed fraudulent transactions totaling more than $3500 between January 2023 and the end of June last year.
He was charged with two counts of theft, one a felony and the other a gross misdemeanor. Through a plea agreement, Thorng today entered a guilty plea to the felony theft charge. He is scheduled to be sentenced in May.
The criminal cases against Arnold and See are still pending.
More Minnesota News:
- Deputy Captures Driver Fleeing at High Speeds in Rochester
- Cause Revealed of Plane Crash That Claimed Lives of Rochester Men
- Firefighters Rescue Stranded Hikers from Minnesota Bluff
Places With the Best Fish Fry in and near Rochester, Minnesota Area
Gallery Credit: Jessica On The Radio
