A Leesburg man was arrested after allegedly stealing large amounts of money from his employer at BJ’s Bingo.
An officer responded to BJ’s Bingo, located at 415 Plaza Drive, to speak with the owner around 7 p.m. Monday, according to an arrest report from the Eustis Police Department. She advised that a worker who had been hired about a year ago, identified as 31-year-old Darius Lorenz Young, had recently been stealing money from the registers behind the counter.
The owner installed a camera after noticing large sums of money going missing and was willing to provide the footage to law enforcement. The cameras captured Young continuously going back behind the counter where the cash was kept. He then reached into a blue bag with the business’s money and put some in his pocket, the report said.
The owner claimed to have marked the bills in a specific way, all of which equaled $2,000, as a trap to see who was stealing. She put those marked bills in a blue bag and folder, which Young did not have permission to take. When she counted $1,274, she contacted the police to investigate, the report said.
The officer subsequently spoke with Young, who stated he occasionally went behind the counter to get change for customers who needed it. He then put the larger bills where they belonged, retrieved smaller bills and paid the customers their change. His job required the handling of loose cash throughout the day, and it was normal for him to take money to give to customers, the report said.
Young consented to a search of his person to check for the marked bills. The officer located numerous marked bills totaling $34: one $20, two $5, and four $1. He willingly emptied his pockets but had to be asked about the additional unmarked $40 in his left cargo pocket, the report said.
When asked where he obtained the marked bills, Young was unsure but stated it could have come from anyone during the day. He was then shown the video of him actively taking cash from behind the counter. He continued to deny all claims of wrongdoing and advised that the owner was setting him up, the report said.
Young also consented to a search of his white 2023 Hyundai passenger car, due to his coworkers claiming he visited the vehicle three times that day. A black duffel bag sat half-opened on the passenger seat. Inside was a large, unusual amount of loose cash, the report said.
A later check of his criminal history determined he had been convicted of theft on Dec. 6, 2023, the report said.
The Georgia native was ultimately arrested on charge of petit theft and booked at the Lake County Jail. He was released after posting $1,000 bond.
He had also been arrested in Oct. 2025 when he was found slumped over in a vehicle at Circle K.