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Credit: Frank Phillips, FlickrAn employee based at the Shades of Green resort on Walt Disney World Resort property in Orlando, Central Florida, may be potentially sentenced to ten years in prison following her alleged crimes.
Elizabeth Carpenter, an accountancy technician at the Shades of Green resort, is facing thousands in fines and a prison sentence after an investigation uncovered her wild scheme to collect huge amounts of money while acting in her professional capacity.
Per court documents obtained by Fox 35 Orlando, Carpenter has pled guilty to one count of theft of government property.
Between July 2022 and March 2024, Carpenter is accused of using her position as an employee with the Department of Defense to ‘access guest accounts to refund a portion of guests’ room payments to the defendant’s personal credit card accounts,'” Fox writes.
Investigators confirmed that Carpenter did so without permission from the resort and while using a government-issued computer.
The report goes on to describe how the employee targeted guests who had multiple completed stays at Shades of Green, refunded amounts to her own credit cards, and gradually increased the values over time.
This means Carpenter was potentially stealing from members of the U.S. Armed Forces and their families, veterans, prisoners of war, and more individuals eligible to stay at Shades of Green.
The process was reportedly completed 652 times during the two-year period, eventually totaling around $183,000. Carpenter pled not guilty to the crime and, if found guilty, will face up to ten years in prison, a fine of $250,000, and a court order to repay all $183,079.60 of processed refunds.
The case is still ongoing.
This is not the only time in 2024 that reports of illegal activity, including theft, have been reported at a Disney park. Earlier this year, a woman was arrested after stealing expensive jewelry in Magic Kingdom, while a theft ring has been reported across the resort.
From EPCOT to Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Disney’s Animal Kingdom to Disney Springs, various items, including exclusive merchandise, have been lifted from other guests.
The Shades of Green resort is located in the Magic Kingdom area of Walt Disney World Resort. While it was originally owned by Disney under the name of the Golf Resort, the United States Department of Defense now owns and operates Shades of Green.
Shades of Green is annexed from Walt Disney World but is still part of the sprawling Florida theme park resort’s overall landscape. It is one of five resorts in the US dedicated to providing rest and relaxation for various members and associates of the Armed Forces, known as Armed Forces Recreation Centers (AFRCs).
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