A cook at a Venezuelan restaurant in Florida faces felony charges after surveillance cameras caught him stealing recipe books containing his employer’s trade secrets, according to police.
Carlos Francisco Gottberg Marquez, 50, was arrested Monday and charged with theft of trade secrets, a third-degree felony. Police said he stole three recipe books from Mordisco Miami, WSVN reported, citing an arrest report.
The restaurant’s owner and chef, Cesar Gonzalez, said he felt betrayed by the alleged thefts.
“It’s the heart of the restaurant,” Gonzalez said, according to the outlet.
Speaking in Spanish, Gonzalez explained the allegedly stolen books contained detailed instructions for preparing the restaurant’s signature meals, including specific temperatures, spices and other components for each dish, according to the outlet. (RELATED: Scuba-Suited Robber Plunders Disney World Seafood Restaurant)
Doral Police Chief Edwin Lopez said the recipes hold significant value, the outlet reported. “Recipes are worth hundreds of thousands of dollars,” Lopez said.
According to investigators, Gottberg Marquez had worked at Mordisco for around a month. Surveillance video showed him removing two recipe books from the kitchen without authorization on Oct. 12, allegedly followed by a third book on Oct. 19, the outlet reported.
Police found Gottberg Marquez in possession of the cookbooks at his second job, a smoothie and sandwich shop located a few blocks away, WSVN stated, citing the arrest report. When officers detained him, he said in Spanish, “It’s in my bike,” Local1o reported.
Lopez said authorities are still investigating the motive.
“We don’t know if he was sent by another criminal enterprise to take this for a fee, but this person was in possession of these cookbooks,” Lopez said.
Gottberg Marquez was booked into the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center and later bonded out on $2,500 bail. The recipe books were reportedly returned to the restaurant.
The Daily Caller reached out to Doral Police Department for comment but has not heard back as of publication.