A former employee of the Biltmore in Coral Gables was arrested after he was accused of stealing thousands of dollars’ worth of food from the hotel’s kitchen, authorities said.
Diego Alfredo Medina-Acosta, 37, was arrested Monday on a charge of first-degree grand theft, Miami-Dade jail records showed.
According to an arrest report, the Biltmore’s director of security and head chef had contacted police to report that numerous food products were missing from the kitchen and storage areas.
The chef said the kitchen maintains an Excel inventory log updated every week and he had noticed significant quantities of food unaccounted for, the report said.
The report said Medina-Acosta was suspected in the thefts of the food that totaled over $7,854, including:
Coconut milk can worth $98.32
Gnocchi potato worth $39.88
Argentinian chorizo sausage worth $54.28
Raw shrimp worth $89.30
192 lobster tails worth $6,525
11 cleaned calamari worth $137.40
116.7 pounds of pork belly worth $637.18
30 center-cut snapper portions worth $273
Surveillance footage showed Medina-Acosta arriving before his scheduled work hours and entering areas of the kitchen where the missing food was stored, the report said.
He was also seen entering and exiting in different areas rather than the employee entrance/exit.
One clip showed him removing a cart containing a large quantity of lobster and returning it without the lobster, the report said.
Medina-Acosta spoke with investigators and told them he clocked in early to get a head start on his work, despite employees not being permitted to clock in before their scheduled shift.
He also said that after being at work for 10 minutes he would leave to go home to drop off his dirty laundry before returning, the report said.
Medina-Acosta said he had been removing the lobster to allow it to thaw but couldn’t explain why it wasn’t on the cart when he returned it, the report said.
The report said Medina-Acosta resigned before he could be fired, and after his resignation the kitchen experienced a substantial amount of food remaining at inventory periods.
Medina-Acosta was arrested and booked into jail. Attorney information wasn’t available.
“The Biltmore takes great pride in being recognized as one of South Florida’s Top Workplaces and in employing talented and dedicated professionals who uphold the highest standards of hospitality and integrity. We have zero tolerance for theft or any conduct that compromises the trust placed in our colleagues and/or organization,” Tom Prescott, President & CEO, The Biltmore Hotel, said in a statement Tuesday. “We welcomed that an independent investigation corroborated the findings of our internal investigation on this matter. The Biltmore remains committed to providing an exceptional level of service and experience for our guests while maintaining a workplace built on trust, accountability, and respect. As the matter is now with law enforcement, any additional questions regarding the investigation should be directed to the Coral Gables Police Department.”