A 37-year-old West Miami man who once worked in the Biltmore Hotel's kitchen is facing a grand theft charge after investigators say he walked off with nearly $8,000 worth of food over several weeks, including 192 lobster tails. Diego Alfredo Medina Acosta was arrested Monday by Coral Gables police and booked into the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center following what authorities describe as a multi-week investigation into missing kitchen inventory at the historic Coral Gables resort.
A Spreadsheet That Told the Story
According to CBS Miami, the case traces back to September 16, when Coral Gables officers first responded to the Biltmore to look into suspected employee theft, with detectives returning to interview hotel security and culinary staff on the day of the arrest. The hotel's head chef had already flagged discrepancies on a weekly Excel inventory log, and the outlet reports he told investigators that after Medina Acosta left his job, the Sunday-to-Sunday counts suddenly stabilized, with far more food remaining than during the prior shortages.
Surveillance footage reviewed by the head chef, hotel security, and police reportedly showed Medina Acosta arriving before his scheduled shifts, entering a food storage area, and wheeling out a cart loaded with lobsters. The same footage showed him routinely skipping the hotel's designated employee entrance in favor of other doors not meant for staff use, a pattern that helped investigators piece together the timeline. Medina Acosta told police, per the arrest report, that he clocked in early simply to get a head start on his work duties.
What Was Actually Missing
Police itemized the losses in the arrest report. The 192 lobster tails alone were valued at $6,525, while 116.7 pounds of pork belly added another $637.18. The rest of the haul included 30 center-cut snapper portions worth $273, 11 portions of cleaned calamari worth $137.40, raw shrimp valued at $89.30, Argentine chorizo sausage worth $54.28, gnocchi worth $39.88, and a can of coconut milk valued at $98.32, pushing the total reported missing property to $7,854.36.
Medina Acosta, a native of Uruguay, resigned from his position at the Biltmore, according to the police report. He made his first court appearance before Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Mindy Glazer, who found probable cause for the grand theft charge and could not resist a dry observation about the evidence, remarking, “Apparently, he has a taste for lobster tails.” Glazer set bond at $2,500, appointed the public defender's office to represent him, and ordered him to stay away from the Biltmore property. He remains subject to an immigration hold, which could complicate any release even after bond is posted.
Hotel Says Internal Probe Was Confirmed
Biltmore Hotel president and CEO Tom Prescott said the organization has zero tolerance for theft or conduct that compromises trust, and the hotel maintains that an independent investigation corroborated the findings of its own internal review. Seaway Hotels Group, chaired by Gene Prescott with Tom Prescott serving as CEO, has managed the property since 1992.
Under Florida Statute 812.014, grand theft of property valued between $750 and $20,000 is a third-degree felony, carrying up to five years in state prison, five years of probation, and a $5,000 fine, according to the Florida Legislature. The $750 threshold marks the line in state law where simple petit theft becomes a felony. Statewide, George Law notes Florida's property crime rate ran lower than the national average in 2025, even as grand theft convictions can carry lasting employment and licensing consequences for those charged.
A Landmark With a Long History
The theft allegations land at a storied address. The Biltmore opened on January 15, 1926, and marked its centennial this past January, according to Forbes, which notes the resort was developed by Coral Gables founder George Merrick and hotelier John McEntee Bowman during the Florida land boom. The property later served as an Army Air Forces military hospital during World War II and then as a Veterans Administration medical facility until 1968, before the City of Coral Gables acquired it in 1973 and restored it as a luxury resort; it earned U.S. National Historic Landmark status in 1996, per the National Park Service.
The Biltmore has drawn Hoodline's attention before for reasons that had nothing to do with its kitchen, including a car-cop collision outside the hotel's loading area and a security symposium inside its Alhambra Room that drew attention after an Iranian war drone was displayed there. For now, Medina Acosta's case moves forward in Miami-Dade Circuit Court, with the immigration hold standing as the main obstacle between him and release on the $2,500 bond.
