Embezzler Gets Eight Years

Here is another monster.

This case is only the tip of the iceberg. There are hundreds of people losing money at the Chumash casino daily, money they cannot afford to lose. 85 percent of all casino profits come from slot machines because the psychology of those machines is to create the sensation and stimulus of winning when over time you are LOSING.
These casinos often offer some kind of players club card to enhance the idea that you are "always winning something" even if it is only points to get a Free" Taco dinner for every five hundred dollars you lose. (you are obviously not supposed to think about that part of it). Every few turns you win some kind of pay out or "jackpot" but over time if you calculate it, you are losing hundreds of dollars an hour. That is why these machines are so addicting to many people.
Unfortunately "Indian" casinos, like the Chumash casino, are unpoliced and unregulated by any federal, state or local law enforcement agency, allowing them to operate wthout complying with any laws, unlike the State of Nevada, which at least has laws requiring minimum fair rates of return for slot machines and regular unannounced, independent inspections of slot machines and gambling games by state law enforcement agencies to insure they are not cheating and are complying with Nevada law. These Indian casinos not only operate outside ot the laws enacted to protect the public and their workers, they cannot be sued for their misdeeds no matter how outrageous they are because of a court created doctrine making them immune form lawsuits.
Anyone who gambles in an Indian casino like the Chumash, is not only foolish and doing so at their own risk, they are likely sitting next to either a gambling addict, like this woman, or a methamphetamine addict (or tweaker) because these people are attracted to Indian casinos like the Chumash "resort" in large numbers!
One need only take a walk around the casino floor to see the kinds of people "playing" slot machines. Sadly this includes old folks gambling away their minimum retirements because they have little to do and honestly believe they have some kind of chance to win something and young people to naive' to understand they will lose their limited funds.

I give that a big "Oh well" we are given choices in this life and responsibility comes with those choices. Last thing we need is more regulations.

Just because the opportunity is there does not mean we have to take it. Gambling is a home wrecker, up there with drink and drugs. One assumes adults are supposed to take control and be responsible for their actions.

The Indian Tribes were constantly lied to and cheated out of their land. They were cruelly harassed and deprived of their freedom,their dignity and their rights. They were forced out of their homes onto unfamiliar reservations and weakened by the white man's gift of alcohol. The Casino war is the war the Indian Nation is clearly winning.

Pay it forward, right?

Karma......

Back to the article and the crime Ms Latou has been convicted of...Embezzlement! I am happy that Judge Eskin saw through Ms Latou's attempt at blaming her gambling and her traumatic childhood as an excuse for leniency. As our economy is suffering the effects of greed, this is just one person that is now removed from the cycle...

Yay, yay.

Cathy Latou:“My heart is filled with shame.”

Apparently that wasn't the case when she was living high on th hog. What a conniving monster! A word to the wise: If you got somebody coming in & changing accounting systems, watch out! You're going to get burned! :) henry

One wonders how she could sleep during those months of stealing. Then of course one realises her mind was not working normally. Free of guilt and buoyed by a huge sense of entitlement she apparently felt no shame as she systematically destroyed those who trusted her, Too late, remorse appears. Or perhaps disguised regret for the discovery of her scam ? Kudos to the Chase Bank employee.

samuel; You have been watching too many movies or listening to too many fairy tales. The Santa Ynez Chumash were never lied to or cheated or forced to relocate onto any land. The land these largely hispanic descendants and fractional California Native Indian descendatns live on today was a gift from the Catholic Church and a land development company and an Oil company. They also built the casino they have on that land even though it is not legally elligible to operate a gambling casino. Each of the tribal members now get $45,000 every month (payable quarterly) from the gambling losses of those who lose their money there, mostly poorer hispanics, gambling addicts and old people who do not know better or have nothing better to do than throw away their retirement money in the uninspected, unpoliced and unregulated slot machines.
It is the popular story often told by California Hispanic/Indian descendants to garner publicsympathy and special treatment today, complaining of historic injustices that occurred centuries ago. Then use the projected guilt trip and race card to silence anjy criticism of the fact they are only fractional descendants, if they are even part Indian at all, and because of outdated legal doctrines, are enabled to operate a gambling casino and other commercial businesses without complying with the many laws that everyone else has to abide by. Laws that were enacted to protect the customers of all businesses in California and all workers in every business, except those working in or patronizing "Indian" businesses who do so at their own risk without any legal rights at all. These ersatz tribes refuse to pay the taxes needed to fund all the public services and infrastructure they use regularly at the non-Indian taxpayers expense and when anyone complains about that fact they play the race card, or like you, start complaining about injustices that happened decades and centuries ago for which no one alive today had any responsibility for and no part "Indian" descendant in the Chumash tribe ever suffered the results of.
The time to move on has long since passed and these now wealthy casino "Indians" need to pay their fair share of the taxes needed to pay for the infrastructure and public services they use, obey all the same laws, and stop hiding behind the phony legal fiction that enables them to evade being sued by anyone injured or damaged while patronizing in, or working in, their casino and businesses. They currently thumb their nose at those who are damaged, cheated, discriminated against and suffer injury no matter how outrageous the tribal misconduct that caused it is.
Equally important the Santa Ynez Chumash and other so called California "Indian tribes" making billions of dollars in gambling profits, need to stop collecting millions in federal welfare and grant moneies that are needed by real Indians living on remote reservations in conditions of abject poverty!

I think the crime this woman committed was horrible and regardless of her issues, weaknesses or addictions cannot be justified. I think I definitely applaud the statements made by equalitylaw and think it is simply hilarious that this casino is filled to the brim each and every day. California gaming control says that they are "in the process of implementing a field inspection team" to check on the practices of Indian Casino's in a similar fashion as the NGCB but I think someone will lose their congressional seat if that ever happens. If you want to win at a casino, have fun playing, or even receive modestly decent rewards, stick to Nevada. Indian casino's are not in business of accountability. The race or ethnicity card is a cop out to laziness. I specifically enjoyed the fact that was stated before me which read, "no one alive today is guilty of offending those who now pretend to be offended." Three months ago, some friends and I went to this casino and enrolled in the club, in one night we spent about three thousand to prove a point. The combined sum of 11 dollars in free play is still something we laugh about today. I enjoy gambling, but these casino's here prey on the ignorance of those not informed enough to see that there is a difference between those casino's which abide by rules and those who don't. Whether or not it's enforced by state, local, or federal regulations everyone knows the fundamental difference between right and wrong. I personally hope that someone, someday posts signs and billboards en route to the casino advertising every charity, cause, or fund that would be a more worthwhile recipient of the money that patrons are destined to loose whether they realize it or not.

Equalitylaw..... Yes. I recommend the classic " A Century Of Dishonour ". Author, Helen Hunt Jackson. Written in 1885.

Last time I went by the Casino I saw no one being forcibly dragged inside.

PSME...... You and your friends are lucky to have $3000 to throw away on your laughable and hilarious experiment. It may have been better served at The Rescue Mission .

Why don't you try to share the points that you explain so clearly here, with the Casino owners themselves? Write a letter or ask for a meeting.. They will politely listen to you and may even agree to send money to the needy causes you mentioned. I believe they have donated a vehicle to the local Search and Rescue team and participated in other local causes.

Part of the public relations efforts by the Chumash casino include making sporadic donations mostly to fire and law enforcement agencies which are the two public services impacted the most by the casino. Of the hundreds of calls recieved annually by these agencies the bulk are for responding to calls and incidents at the casino. Unfortunately the Chumashs' token gifts are not a drop in the bucket of the millions of dollars in costs for providing these public services and infrastructure which the rest of us taxpayers must foot the bill for. That is because the casino and the tribe refuse to pay property taxes, sales taxes, bed or transient occupancy taxes, corporations taxes, personal property taxes, state income taxes and the many other taxes and assessments that every other business has to pay to fund these public services, claiming they are "Indians" and don't have to pay.
Calculations based on the 250 to 300 million dollars the casino takes in every year would project their potential tax liability at about 25 million dollars a year, which needed monies never make it into the county or state coffers. Particularly now when virtually everything is suffering massive cutbacks, school tuitions are being increased by huge percentages, yet these so called "Indian casinos" and businesses can evade paying all these taxes.
In fact the amount of money "donated" by the tribe and it's casino to the community are not even as much as they still collect in federal welfare and grant monies which are handed out by the government to anyone who they categorize as "Indians" or an "Indian tribe" regardless of the fractional or questionable connection (if any) to any real Californai Native Indians and regardless of the hundreds of millions of dollars in profits they are making from gambling losses, (usually from people who cannot afford to lose that money)
There really should be a large sign at all the entrances of every "Indian" casino like the Chumash warning the public they are entering an " Indian" casino or business which can operate outside of all laws and taxes every one else has to pay, cannnot be sued for any injuries or other violations of law, are unpoliced and unispected by any agency to guarantee the fairness and accuracy of their gambling games and the odds of winning anything measured over time are less than the state lottery.
For the poster who points out that patrons are not forced to go there and gamble, they have no idea what gambling addictions are like. 85 percent of the casinos revenue is from slot machines and of that 85 percent, one third is from addicts who have no rational understanding of how slot machines are designed to stimulate certain areas of the brain controlling pleasure like the feeling one gets when they find a $20.00 bill in their jacket pocket at the cleaners they had forgotten. That is why they call slot machines, "the crack cocaine of the poor and uneducated gambler"!

We appreciate all the discussions and welcome the debates they are healthy for our community. My wife and I thank the D.A.'s office Greg Boller and Lee Carter as well as the Sheriff Department and Charlie Bosma. We have a dedicated and very hard working group of individuals in our penal system and many times they preform a thankless duty.

I have a great amount of respect for these men and woman . Judge Eskin showed true emotion and has his heart in the right place at all times. Thank you Judge Eskin.

No one won anything here but at least a point was made and we hope that this sends a message to would be criminals.

Thank you all.

I agree with some of the posts above and disagree with others, but there is nothing that can justify what this lady did. Just because there are gambling addicts, doesn't mean that everybody at the casino is one. Just because some enjoy alcoholic beverages, doesn't mean everybody is an alcoholic. Also, just because some abuse the medical marijuana system, doesn't mean everybody does. No matter what, there is no excuse for taking somebody else's property. No excuse for robbing a company blind, so much so that their livlihood was taken also. The impact on the individual, their families, and community, causes a ripple effect that is felt all the way around. Regardless of what we think of casinos, they do bring business and people enjoy there time there. Better than that, the money is spent here rather than Las Vegas or other casinos. The casino employs people, and they donate money also. For those with gambling addictions there are people and places that can help, and the casinos make that information available.

I have been to the Casino over the years only to dine at the buffett--I've never gambled. The buffet is on the floor above the gambling room and the people I see in there are like the kind of people I see on the Jerry Springer show--desperate and the kind of people one would not want to meet in a dark alley. A aquaintence of mine who is a navy seal and used to compete in martial arts tournaments told me when he was in there HE felt uptight, so coming from him that is really something to consider.

Many times the aisles between the rows of slot machines are blocked with people just standing and staring at other people gambling. These people are so transfixed that someone eight feet tall with two heads could walk past them naked without much notice.

The casino of course justifies its existance in part with the old "look at how much we have contributed to such-and-such cause" but the overall effect it has had on the ambience of the valley has been quite negative. One can inject the racial/ethnic element into the debate but when all is said and done, it's simply a case of developers building a grand monstrosity at the expense of those who live in the area.

As for Cathy Latou, hopefully she will see the light and become a better person.

As and aside, I wonder why the author describes her as "petite brown-haired"? What does her physical appearance have to do with this?

There are a lot of tweakers out there, especially at night. Where else can they be up all night without being suspect? You should know that security there is very good. People who get 86ed usually don't make it up those escalators. I know that parking complex can be scary also, but you better believe someone is watching.

Amen AZ. When I used to go there I remember on one occasion reporting a person parked in the handicapped space to security and the guy (who looked like he barely knew what was going on) simply told me there was nothing he could do about it.

I must say however, that the buffet is excellent. Just make sure you don't make eye contact with the gamblers; they're pretty scary.

I love the internet and blogs like the Indy's. Where else can you see people post clearly insane statements like,"The Santa Ynez Chumash were never lied to or cheated or forced to relocate onto any land." The funny thing is that these idiots actually believe their own fantasies. The poster, equalitylaw, has let anyone who reads this blog know that he / she does not know even the most basic California history.

Bill- It seems pretty safe there, but taking a Navy Seal couldn't hurt.:)

BTW Herschel, what do you mean by your comments? So the Chumash didn't voluntarily give up their land to the Spaniards?

Humble opinion, but I think the only shame & remorse Ms. Latou felt was not for her actions, but rather for getting caught. Sounds cynical, I know, but probably 100% accurate :) henry

H. Greenspan;
It is you who don't know a thing about the people who voluntarily occupied the property on which the casino now sits along with over 90 houses, built with public funds and maintained by grant monies from A.M.I.H.A., the federal Indian housing authority. That land was deeded to the Chumash in 1934 by the Archdiosese of the Catholic Church for free. Annual welfare and grant money payments are still made to this "tribe" despite the fact that these residents that are tribal members are getting $45,000 a month each in profit distributions as "per capita distributions" paid for from the losses of casino gamblers. In cases where there are two tribal members in a houshold that is $90,000 a month !!
You apparently have no problem with the idea that a household making $90,000 a month should still be entitled to thousands of dollars in welfare and grant monies paid for by taxpayers? Or that these folks should not have to pay any taxes for all the public services and infrastructure they use regularly at the taxpayers expense because they refuse to pay the taxes everyone else has to pay to fund these services and infrastructure, like highway 154!
What are the lies you are referring to in your post? What was the cheating you referred to that occurred? The only cheating I see is that of the public by these fractional largley hispanic descendants, under the guise they are Indians entitled to special treatment and entitled to operate an unregualted, unpoliced gambling casino immune from all lalws and from lawsuits no matter how outrageosu their misconduct is.
Before calling anothers post "insane" maybe you should post some specific facts to back up your rant!

I actually laughed out loud when I scanned through to the last sentence of "equalitylaw's" last post calling someone else's post a "rant!"

Delicious irony.

i don't hold much hope ms. latou can be rehabilitated nor that her "heart full of shame" will have any influence on her future behavior. ms. latou will serve her time and return to society to repeat her exploitative past.

equalitylaw - you are seriously obsessed with hating indians, particularly the chumash. regarding gaming "laws" - nevada casinos are better? what a joke. and, i'll tell you a little secret, i'm sure you'll believe it: my ancestors "volunteered" to be slaves to the spanish priests. ay.

Make money your god and it will plague you like the devil.
Horace

Many meetings, many chances.
Few meetings, few chances.
No meetings, no chances.

I was not dealing with a full deck.

My ace in the hole is my Higher Power.

I exchanged my house of cards for a meeting room and found home.

No bet ever paid the rent.

When all bets are off, I am not.

I saved face when I gave up face cards.

From green felt to green pastures.

matilija

Hate is irrational, based on ignorance and more than often guilt it is a waste of time and breath confronting it . As the gambler is a possible weak subject for reform so is the bigot.

Not exclusive to the Chumash, a small and peaceful tribe, the general history of the Conquisodores, the Padres, the European white settlers and the Indian population since the reign of Ferdinand and Isabella is disgusting.

I guess Equitylaw believes that either the Spanish and the Catholic Church had a divine right to all the land they laid their eyes on or they were here before the Chumash therefore had more rights to it than them. Either ways it is a hell of a way to rewrite history.

Amen.

ok I have to get in on this.

So many of you have talked about Spain and Mexico contributing to the downfall of the Chumash. I even read some crazy post about Ferdinand and Isabella. They were dead at least 300 years before Spain came to California. So squash that comment.

The worst of all settlers were the Americans. To this day they are the worst of them all.
Just for some background info Spain was here for 50 years or so...1769 to about 1819-1820 Then Mexico till about 1845 ran the joint till the Americans started to make attempts at settling the area. With in 3 years the ideals of free trade and commerce appealed with the locals they quietly changed over the judicial system and social practices. Before Judge Sotamayor the whole State of California had Judges from Mexico ruling the area. The Government was ruled by Mexico. By the time the Americans took over it really didn’t make much a difference in California because there had been so many settlers it already seemed like it was American.

Now when Spain and the missions had the land they only gave away 30 land grants. When Mexico took over they issued close to 770+. When the Americans came in they took it all and divided it all up. Even though they agreed to the terms of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo of 1848 the American settlers didn't care about no treaty and the US government wasn't about to get involved because of the pending tensions of the Cival war. By 1851 a lands commission was formed to address land claims. During this time the State imposed a little known law called the vagrancy act. It was enacted from 1851 to about 1859. It was basically legalized slavery. It was targeted at Native Americans. Even after the civil war was over California refused to change the law. Even when it was changed people of California continued to practice this cruel law. It is also on record that one family was held under slavery till 1910. No one ever told the Native Americans they were no longer required to work. Lands were stolen and oh lets not forget the scalping law, and legalized killing of Wild Natives. Between the years of 1860 and 1870 30 thousand Native American just disappeared from the census rolls. By 1880's it became common to strip the Native of all his possessions including the right to religion and language. Too assimilate them in to White culture. Spain never did this, Mexico never did this. In fact in that treaty of 1848 Mexico recognized Native American as citizens. Did the American honor that..no way.

continued.....

continued...

So to this day the Americans are so ashamed at the acts of there grandfathers fathers that forget the atrocities that have been done and they rather blame a race that came before Americans, they blame Spain & Mexico. They believe that what the Native Americans have received is enough, no I don’t think genocide of a race is equal to having a casino. I dont need to remind you that The REz doesnt represent all Chumash people, they represent just their members.

You know California tried to settle the debt over the land grab...they awarded the California Indians 15 million bucks in 1932. Then they charged the Natives 10 million for food and clothing that was provided from 1904. That left 5 million to be paid out to the Native population. My aunt received a check for $150 bucks for the Land that her grandfather lived on. I know people who wear shoes that cost more. This payment was in 1964, even by those times it was not equal to the actual cost of the lands. Oh it was without interest!

If you go spend your money at the rez and want someone to blame then go blame yourself and take responsibility for your forefathers actions and try to be a little more humble about how you deal with and treat Natives. Or better yet go read a book or two and learn something about your history, not watch a TV show on it either.

Take a visit to the local presidio library or SB History museum. edumicate yurself!

There is nothing "crazy" about Ferdinand and Isabella's reign and the suppression and persecution of Indians. You are not thinking outside the box. The discussion on here was related, but not exclusive to, our coastal tribes. Vasco Nunez de Balboa reached the Pacific in 1513 and the survivors of Ferdinand Magellan's expedition completed the circumnavigation of the globe in 1522. In 1519 the conquistador Hernando Cortes subdued the Aztecs in Mexico with a handful of followers, and between 1531 and 1533 Francisco Pizzaro overthrew the empire of the Incas and established Spanish dominion over Peru. And that was just for starters.

Is acknowledgment of past wrongs as well as challenging the myth that all the Founding Fathers were wonderful people enough or should those of us who are not of Native American/Indian/whatever the correct term is spend the rest of our lives beating up on ourselves because of what someone else did?

There is absolutely no reason for us to feel guilt for the past . None whatsoever. However, there is also no reason to alter history, deny truths and tamper with the facts to prove a point. The movie industry fuzzies historical facts to suit the script writer. In his opinion it makes a better story. To a historian it is an irritant, a waste of time and creates unnecessary confusion.

Everyone, every business and every institution should pay their taxes. Property taxes primarily support fire, police, schools and roads.
If a given person. business, institution does not pay property tax they should pay for the services. If the Chumash are really a separate nation they should have their own fire department their own police department their own courts, their own schools, their own jails, their own sewer system, their own water, and their own electrical grid.
California should set up a toll gate for cars going in and out of the Chumash Nation to pay for use of our roads.

AMEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The rights of Indian nations is more akin to the rights of States. The special status of Indian tribes is recognized in the language of the Constitution.

Congress was given authority to "regulate commerce with foreign nations, and among the several states, and with the Indian tribes.” U.S. Constitution. Article. I § 8. Commonly called the “Indian Commerce Clause,” this provision has generally granted power over Indian affairs exclusively in the federal government.

Federal law specifically prohibits states from imposing taxes or fees on Indian gambling, except for fees that the tribe agrees to. These fees are intended offset costs for inspections and other regulation under the tribal-state compacts.

In other words, states cannot raise general revenue by taxing Indian gambling. This does not prohibit states from requiring tribes to pay a share of gambling proceeds to the state in return for various state concession, such as a market exclusivity.

Income earned by employees at Indian casinos is taxable if the employee is a non-Indian. Income earned at an Indian casino by tribal members is nontaxable by the state.