Performing Arts Center employee arrested for fraud

Deepa Bharath

COSTA MESA -- Police arrested a former box office manager for the

Orange County Performing Arts Center, saying he credited $42,200 in

refunds to himself by using bogus customer names.

According to police reports, Tuan Tong, 31, who used the aliases of

Chris Tong and Ho T. Tong, faked refunds using fictitious names and

credited them to his bank account and five credit card accounts.

Officials said the center was tipped off by Bank of America, which

last month reported 32 return credit transactions to Tong’s account

between July 22 and Sept. 24. Those credits amounted to $19,489.

Officials said each of the credits that came from the Orange County

Performing Arts Center had a different customer name on it.

They added that the investigation found no additional fraudulent

charges by Tong over the last two years, other than those over the last

three months, totaling $42,200.

Tong was arrested Monday, said Costa Mesa Police Lt. John FitzPatrick.

He was released within an hour of his arrest because he did not have a

prior criminal record, he said.

An arraignment hearing has not yet been scheduled.

Center officials said they were shocked by the incident, given Tong’s

friendly nature and good reputation.

“He was someone who’s been here for a long time and is pretty well

liked,” said Angela Dickson, spokeswoman for the Center.

Tong did not answer calls Wednesday.

Tong, an employee at the Center for eight years, had been box office

manager, a supervisory position, for the last three.

It was his job to check and approve ticket refunds, and was

responsible for any documentation that would show a high volume of ticket

returns. That is why he was able to make the fraudulent refunds without

being noticed, police said.

Dickson called the incident “sad” and said measures have been put in

place to make sure similar incidents do not occur again.

Investigations are ongoing, said Todd Bentjen, vice president of

marketing and communications for the Center.

“We already had safeguards in place, and that’s how we found out about

this,” he said. “We’ve now added to those safeguards.”

He said the Center’s theft insurance would cover the losses.

“Our budget will not be impacted by the theft,” he said.