Supervisorial Candidate Denies Debts : Authorities Say Ventura College Trustee Owes $40,000 to Several Nevada Casinos

Ventura County Community College District Trustee Tom Ely has incurred about $40,000 in gambling debts at more than half a dozen Nevada casinos, law enforcement sources told The Times last week.

Ely, 54, who is running for the Ventura County Board of Supervisors, owes money to some of the best known casinos and hotels in Las Vegas, the law enforcement sources said.

Las Vegas Police Detective Ned Brodeur on Wednesday confirmed that there is such a list, of Ely’s alleged gambling debts, but he declined to provide details.

This disclosure of alleged gambling debts by Ely follows a report last week that he owed $3,000 to the Edgewater Hotel and Casino in Laughlin, Nev., and a subsequent revelation that he is being sued by the Golden Nugget in Las Vegas over $8,000 in alleged debts.

Brodeur said Wednesday that only the Edgewater has filed a complaint with the police. He added that the complaint was dropped this week after the debt was settled.

Most casinos allow indebted gamblers a grace period before seeking police intervention, Brodeur said, although the debts would be listed with the State Gaming Control Board of Nevada during periodic casino audits.

Ely denied that he had incurred the gambling debts, and said his attorney has advised him not to comment because “there’s all kinds of legal action coming.”

Members of the college board of trustees met over the weekend to discuss the situation and said they are looking into Ely’s use of an office telephone to make calls to Nevada. They said the question of whether or not to censure Ely for his activities will be referred to attorneys for the county.

In a statement to the trustees, Ely admitted that he had accrued some gambling debts in Las Vegas while under “heavy medication” last summer as the result of a traffic accident in January, but said his losses were not in the $40,000 range. He said he is taking steps to pay off his gambling debts.

Ely said he will remain in the supervisor’s race to represent the 4th District, which includes Simi Valley, Moorpark, Somis and the Santa Rosa Valley. Ely has been an elected community college trustee--a job that pays $400 a month--since 1979.

The state Gaming Control Board of Nevada refused to comment on Ely’s alleged indebtedness. None of the casinos would comment publicly either, citing policies guaranteeing confidentiality for clients.