Hotel Employee Arrested for Allegedly Stealing 192 Lobster Tails
A hotel employee in Florida has been arrested, accused of stealing nearly $8,000 worth of food from the Biltmore Hotel. An Excel inventory log helped flag the missing items.
Diego Alfredo Medina-Acosta, 37, a former employee of the Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables, Florida, has been arrested and charged with grand theft. Police allege Medina-Acosta stole approximately $7,854 worth of food from the hotel's kitchen, including 192 lobster tails.
The alleged theft was discovered when the hotel's chef noticed significant discrepancies in the weekly Excel inventory log. Surveillance footage reportedly shows Medina-Acosta entering food storage areas outside of his scheduled work hours before the food went missing.
In addition to the lobster tails, valued at $6,525, other stolen items included coconut milk, gnocchi, chorizo, shrimp, calamari, pork belly, and snapper. The charge is first-degree grand theft, with the value of the stolen goods under $100,000.
"We have zero tolerance for theft or any conduct that compromises the trust placed in our colleagues and/or organization," said Tom Prescott, President & CEO of The Biltmore Hotel. He added that an independent investigation corroborated the findings of the hotel's internal investigation.