Aria Manager Accused of $770K Theft: Lavish Lifestyle and Fraudulent Refunds

Brandon Rashaad Johnson, 38, is accused of creating fraudulent hotel reservation refunds that were put on his credit card over a 12-month period from July 2022 to July 2023. Johnson, who had been working for MGM Resorts International since 2013, reportedly used the stolen funds to live a lavish lifestyle, which included shopping at Louis Vuitton and Versace, flying on private jets, visiting spas, attending shows, and even purchasing a house.

The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department was notified of the alleged theft on July 27, 2023, and immediately began an investigation. Johnson quit his job via SMS four days after the investigation started.

On August 31, 2023, the Las Vegas Defense Group, a law firm, contacted the Metro police to report that they were representing Johnson, who surrendered to the police on September 1. According to the arrest report, Johnson allegedly issued 209 fraudulent refunds back to a single Chase debit card, with the money going into a checking account. Police say that he was allegedly moving money back and forth between several different Chase accounts to make the fraudulent funds harder to track and make the stolen money appear legitimate.