HONOLULU (AP) — A former Sea Life Park employee charged with stealing nearly $150,000 while working at the Oahu aquarium has been sentenced to 10 years in prison.
HONOLULU (AP) — A former Sea Life Park employee charged with stealing nearly $150,000 while working at the Oahu aquarium has been sentenced to 10 years in prison.
Maricris Espiritu was sentenced Wednesday after pleading no contest to first-degree theft. She has also been ordered to pay back what she stole.
Prosecutors say Espiritu, who handled the cash register at the park, would pocket the money that guests used to pay for photo packages of themselves swimming with dolphins. The theft occurred between July 2011 and December 2012.
Sea Life Park was alerted to the illegal activity after noticing discrepancies in the amounts of cash receipts when Espiritu worked and when she was off.
Authorities say she was caught stealing on video surveillance.