Nonprofit employee accused of stealing nearly $400K to gamble, report says

TOLEDO, Ohio (WTVG/Gray News) - An employee at a resource center in Ohio is accused of stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from the organization to gamble.

According to a police report, a female employee at Adelante, a nonprofit Latino resource center, allegedly stole nearly $400,000 from January 2019 to April 2022, as reported by WTVG.

Daniel Briones, chairman of Adelante, claims in January 2019, the employee took out a loan from Key Bank for $49,900 in the name of Adelante Inc. without authorization.

Briones said the worker spent money in Las Vegas on a company card totaling $10,636 without approval. She reportedly spent the money on food and gambling.

The employee is also accused of going to Firekeepers Casino in Michigan and spending $10,656 from a company card, along with spending nearly $3,000 at other entertainment destinations in Michigan, including the MGM Grand Detroit.

Additionally, Briones claims the worker went to Hollywood Casino in April, August and November 2021 - withdrawing and spending $339,636. He told police the woman produced fake receipts from the casino to pass as business expenses.

The police report states the employee is accused of spending money from the organization to gamble in Michigan, Las Vegas and Toledo.

Adelante reportedly receives more than $170,000 in funding from the Mental Health and Recovery Services Board of Lucas County. The board has since suspended funding to the organization.

“They’ll come back to us with a plan for how they plan to overcome the financial improprieties that they’ve had and give us some assurances that these fiscal improprieties will never happen again,” said Scott Sylak, executive director with the board of Lucas County.

Adelante representatives said the employee investigation started after board members reported she confessed during a meeting that she used the money for personal use, according to the company.

Currently, the resource center remains temporarily closed due to the ongoing investigation.

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