A former Walt Disney World Resort cast member is facing serious criminal charges after authorities say she filled a reusable bag with over $2,000 worth of merchandise at the World of Disney store at Disney Springs and walked out. She then allegedly tried to disappear into the crowd by changing her appearance at a nearby restaurant.
The Incident at World of Disney
The Orange County Sheriff's Office was called to World of Disney at Disney Springs on June 12 following a report about 28-year-old Cynthia Elizabeth Molina. According to the incident report, a store cast member spotted Molina near a jewelry display, “ripping locked up bracelets off the hooks and placing them in her ‘already very full bag.'”
Following World of Disney policy, the cast member alerted a manager, and together they followed Molina through the store. When the manager caught up with her, he “touched her right arm (which was holding the bag) and advised how she needed to pay for the merchandise.”
Molina allegedly pushed the manager, “shrugged him off,” and walked out of the store. The manager immediately contacted Walt Disney World Resort security. Surveillance footage from inside the store later corroborated his account, capturing him “lightly tapping the back of her right arm” while wearing his Disney uniform with badge and credentials clearly visible, and Molina “brushing off his hand” before exiting.
A Change of Clothes That Didn't Change Much
Molina left World of Disney wearing a Toy Story (1995) shirt and made her way to Raglan Road, the Irish pub located within Disney Springs. When she emerged, she was wearing a different shirt, her hair pulled back in a bun. Still, both employees who had interacted with her inside World of Disney identified her as the same person without hesitation.
When authorities approached Molina, she declined to answer questions and asked to see the security camera footage, contending that the manager had initiated physical contact with her first. In her bag, investigators found “Mickey Mouse plush, pencils in a variety of colors, various stationery pouches, jewelry consisting of bracelets and necklaces and other trinkets, phone straps and additional Walt Disney World miscellaneous items.”
Authorities confiscated 100 items in total, valued at $2,193.
Charges Filed, Not Guilty Plea Entered
Molina was arrested on June 12 and transported to the Orange County Jail, where she was charged with grand theft in the third degree and robbery.
Let it be known Cynthia was a prior cast member at Disney's Animal Kingdom,” the incident report reads. “She worked in retail and was familiar with Disney's policy concerning retail procedures, and more importantly theft as well as the uniforms worn by cast members and leads/supervisors.”
Cynthia Elizabeth Molina has pleaded not guilty to both charges.
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