MDSO: 3 men working FIFA World Cup busted for fraud, grand theft

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Three men working at the FIFA World Cup match between England and France at Hard Rock Stadium on Saturday were arrested for allegedly defrauding the business that employed them.

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According to the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office, a manger for Sodexo Live, a vendor working World Cup games at the venue, alerted deputies after noticing that the employees were completing sales with customers in which the transaction total matched the correct amount, but “instead of charging for the items, they were providing the items for free to the customers, and the money” for the items “was being included as the defendants tip.”

The suspects have been identified as Angel Matta, 38, of Miramar, Justin Samuel, 46, of Lauderdale Lakes and Marcus Tribble, 37, of Lauderhill.

Deputies said the manager informed them that the devices used to conduct the transactions were all checked out at the start of a shift and utilized for the remainder of that assigned shift, and that each suspect had to log into the device “with their unique identifier,” according to an arrest form.

The manger told investigators that “she discovered a patter for the same three vendors for all six FIFA games worked. All showing the same pattern of astronomically high credit card percentage tips.”

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Deputies said the total amount paid in tips instead of for merchandise was $10,138.

All three suspects were arrested and are facing felony charges of organized fraud of $20,000 or less and third-degree grand theft.

As of Sunday afternoon, they were all being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on individual bonds of $5,000 each.

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