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A housekeeper at a resort on the Las Vegas Strip stole more than $100,000 worth of cash and valuables from guests’ rooms and was arrested while wearing a missing bracelet, according to police.
Maria Menendez Betancourt was an employee of the Palazzo Tower at the Venetian Resort at the time of the alleged thefts, say authorities in Nevada.
Police say they were first alerted to the alleged thefts in June when a guest reported more than $8,000 missing from their room.
A review of the lock on the room showed Menendez Betancourt entered the room while the guest was away, according to police documents obtained by 8 News Now, a local news station.
Later that month, hotel security called police after detaining the housekeeper, believing she had stolen more than $110,000 in cash and checks from a guest’s room. Security video showed she entered the hotel on a day when she didn’t show up for work and used a key fob to get into multiple rooms on multiple floors.
“Menendez Betancourt discovered these items and concealed them in white bath towels [she] found in the room,” the police documents said.
The Independent has contacted the Venetian for comment.
Menendez Betancourt was arrested in June and again on new charges in July.
All told, she faces three felony theft charges, according to court records, and has not entered a plea.
Court records show she registered herself as indigent and in need of a Spanish interpreter. The records do not list a lawyer on her behalf.
A social media account appearing to belong to Menendez Betancourt did not respond to a request for comment from The Independent.
