San Jose husband and wife accused of embezzling thousands from casino
A husband and wife from San Jose have been arrested on suspicion of embezzlement for allegedly embezzling tens of thousands of dollars from a local casino, police said.
According to officers, the San Jose casino notified officers about the embezzlement on May 23. A preliminary investigation revealed that a female who "worked as a third-party player through a vendor contracted by the casino" had been embezzling gaming chips from the casino between May 1 and May 22.
Police said the employee would then give the chips to her husband, who cashed them out at the casino.
Investigators by the department's Financial Crimes Unit and Division of Gaming Control identified the suspects as 38-year-old Ellen Mangundayao and 41-year-old Mark Mangundayao of San Jose.
Arrest warrants and search warrants for two homes were also obtained.
When detectives located Ellen Mangundayao, police said they found $4,750 in chips on her person. Detectives said they seized more than $75,000 in cash and an additional $10,000 in chips from the homes.
Photos shared by the department showed cash and chips from what appeared to be Casino M8trix, a card room located near Highway 101.
Detectives said in a statement that the pair are believed to have embezzled hundreds of thousands of dollars over several years.
Both Ellen Mangundayao and Mark Mangundayao were booked into the Santa Clara County Jail on suspicion of felony embezzlement and conspiracy.
Anyone with additional information about the case is asked to contact Detective Corini of the department's Financial Crimes Unit over email or by calling 408-277-4654.
