Colin Atagi

Palm Springs Desert Sun

A Rocky's Pawn Shop employee was fired from his job and arrested days after his boss discovered he may have embezzled more than $160,000, since December 2015, according to a sheriff's declaration.

John Doyle Ventling, 36, was arrested Aug. 30 and has since pleaded not guilty to the accusations. He's in custody in lieu of $165,000 bail at the Riverside County jail in Indio and his next Riverside County Superior Court appearance is scheduled for Sept. 13.

Details of the embezzlement were disclosed in a declaration of a felonious source of bail that was filed by the Riverside County Sheriff's Department. A declaration explains why a suspect needs to provide proof of valid bail money.

Rocky officials discovered the suspicious activity Aug. 15 and fired the suspect from his job at the Palm Desert branch on San Pablo Avenue.

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Although documents identify Ventling as a former manager, the store's current manager told The Desert Sun he never held the position. She declined to comment further Wednesday and it wasn't immediately clear if the suspect was involved with other branches in the desert.

The suspicious activity was reported to the Riverside County Sheriff's Department on Aug. 23.

Staff told investigators Ventling was the only employee with access to an internal inventory system and he created fake customer transactions, forged pawn slips and pocketed money from the false sales. He also destroyed pawn slips and would "manipulate the computer inventory system to avoid detection of money inventory deficit," according to the declaration.

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Investigators said they determined that there were 208 transactions involving fake customers and the suspect collected $164,650.

For unspecified reasons, an investigator went to Spotlight 29 Casino in Coachella, where Ventling is a "Titanium member," according to the declaration.

A review of Ventling's gambling history showed he spent large sums of money in 2016 and 2017 - about six figures each year - and had a deficit of $22,000 at the time of his arrest, investigators stated.

Ventling is charged with two counts of grand theft and one count of burglary, according to court records.

His attorney with the Riverside County public defenders office did not return a call for comment.