Casino Crime Roundup: Reno Sex Offenses Lead to Arrest

Posted on: December 7, 2023, 11:50h. 

Last updated on: December 8, 2023, 06:10h.

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

A 27-year-old man was arrested Wednesday after he allegedly engaged in illegal sex acts at an unnamed Reno, Nev., gaming property.

Reno Police Department patch
A Reno Police Department patch on an officer’s uniform. Reno cops arrested a man for alleged sex crimes. (Image: KRNV)

The suspect, Bill Ellis, first groped an elderly casino worker, according to police. Approximately 40 minutes later, Ellis approached a second woman in a casino restroom, at which time he allegedly brandished a knife and then dropped his pants.

The victim got Ellis to leave the restroom, but Ellis then ordered the victim to go to another location inside the casino. He then beat her. During the attack, the victim was able to scream, and Ellis ran off. The victim told police about the incidents, and officers reviewed the casino’s surveillance video. Reno

Police Department officers located Ellis a short time after he was arrested. Nevada TV station KTVN reported that Ellis was charged with:

  • False imprisonment with a deadly weapon (sexually motivated)
  • Battery to commit sexual assault with a deadly weapon
  • Attempted sexual assault
  • Battery to commit sexual assault with elderly enhancement
  • Open and gross lewdness

Jaguars Employee Steals $22M

A now ex-employee of the Jacksonville Jaguars allegedly stole more than $22M from the NFL team. Some of the money was spent on gambling, authorities said.

A document filed last week in US District Court in Jacksonville, Fla., claimed part of the $22,221,454.40 was used on online wagering by the defendant, Amit Patel. Patel also allegedly spent some of the ill-gotten loot on personal items, including buying a $95K Patek Philippe Nautilus watch, condos, and vehicles.

He was charged with wire fraud and illegal monetary transactions.

If found guilty, Patel may be forced to forfeit property “in the amount of at least $22,221,454.40, which represents the proceeds of the offense,” as well as the assets purchased with the money, according to the filing.

Jaguars’ Financial Manager

Patel, who was the administrator of the team’s virtual credit card (VCC) system, began working for the Jaguars in 2018. He was fired by the team in February after he allegedly used the VCC to facilitate the theft, which ran between 2019 and 2023.

As part of his duties with the Jaguars, Patel served as both the coordinator and, later, as the team’s manager of financial planning and analysis, a role that allowed him to oversee the team’s monthly financial statements and department budgets, according to a report in The Athletic.

Patel allegedly hid illegal transactions by identifying “reoccurring VCC transactions, such as catering, airfare, and hotel charges, and then duplicated those transactions; he inflated the amounts of legitimate reoccurring transactions; he entered completely fictitious transactions that might sound plausible, but that never actually occurred,” the filing revealed.