Some Like Their Fajitas Hot . . .

After pleading guilty to theft by a public servant, Gilberto Escamilla, 53, was sentenced to 50 years in prison after being convicted of stealing $1.2 million in fajitas with county funds.  Given where the fajitas were heading, he may have less than a warm welcome in prison.  He worked at the Cameron County Juvenile Justice Department.

The Brownsville Herald reported that county officials discovered that Escamilla had been accepting deliveries of fajitas for nine years.  He was discovered when a driver from Labatt Food Service in Harlingen called the department’s kitchen to deliver an 800-pound order of fajitas. However, fajitas were not on the menu.

Police found fajita packages in Escamilla’s home and concluded that he had stolen more than $1.2 million worth of fajita orders to sell to his own customers.

The high sentence reflected his use of public authority.  It was not much of a deal for a plea and he may be wondering why he did not opt for trial if the best he could get is 50 years on a deal.