Missing Deposits Lead to Massive Theft Discovery at Rochester Hotel

Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News)- A Kasson woman is accused of using her management position at a Rochester hotel to steal hundreds of thousands of dollars from the business. 

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The criminal complaint says she was an assistant general manager at the time of the alleged thefts. She’s accused of stealing from the hotel from January through December of 2023. 

A Rochester Police Department investigation, which started in December of 2023, uncovered numerous short deposits, forged banking documents, large deposits into the suspect’s account and a massive increase in spending on gambling, the charges say. 

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Charges: Kasson, MN Woman Stole Hundreds of Thousands of Dollars from Rochester Hotel

Rochester police responded to the theft report at the Even Hotel, which is near St. Mary’s Hospital. The manager accused the hotel’s assistant manager, identified as 39-year-old Beth Marie Hansen, of stealing from the hotel. 

Hansen was in charge of making the nightly deposits but was not making the full deposits, the charges allege. 

Hotel management became aware of the alleged theft when the November deposits were $100,000 and when no deposits had been made 18 days into December, according to the court document. 

A review of the hotel’s financial records for 2023, which are listed in the complaint, revealed money deposited into the hotel’s account was short of money the business took in for every month of 2023. 

Hansen, who the court document says is a frequent visitor at Treasure Island Casino, also had a sizable increase in money she spent on gambling. Records from the casino show Hansen wagered $33,828.90 in January of 2024. 

She spent more than $2.1 million in slot play at the casino in 2023. Her previous yearly high in the past decade was $162,388.20 in 2022, according to the complaint. 

Investigators also obtained Hansen’s personal banking records which showed money from the hotel going to a PayPal account before being deposited into Hansen’s personal account, the charges say. 

The total deposited into Hansen’s account was in 2023 $161,470.22, according to the court document. 

Hansen is facing 12 felony theft-related counts. She’s scheduled to make her first court appearance in July.