Eugene Lanza, a 30-year-old chef at the Princess Hotel and Casino, was convicted today, Tuesday, in Belize City Magistrate’s Court for theft of a woman’s cell phone.

Lanza pleaded not guilty to the charge. Denying the allegations, he told the court that he was not at the hotel on that day. Lanza nevertheless was found guilty of the offense and was sentenced to one year imprisonment effective today.

Several witnesses were called to testify against Lanza, and even the testimony of Lanza’s father — who was called by Lanza to testify in his defense — ultimately did not work in his favour, because it placed him at the casino on the day of the theft.

The complainant, Melissa Zuniga, also testified against Lanza. She told the court that on July 6, 2013, while she was gambling at the Princess Casino, Lanza approached her and asked her to borrow her phone to make a call.

Zuniga said she gave Lanza her Blackberry cell phone, worth $1,000, and he walked away with the phone but never returned it.

Zuniga later made a report to the police about the incident and Lanza was arrested and charged for theft.