The general manager for the concessionaire at Invesco Field at Mile High has been accused of stealing more than $300,000 and attempting to steal another $30,000, according to the Denver district attorney’s office.
Michael Drew Sweeny, 31, who worked for Centerplate at Invesco, is charged with three counts of felony theft and one count of attempted theft.
According to its website, Centerplate is the exclusive concessionaire at the stadium providing both traditional stadium cuisine and specialty concession stalls.
According to an arrest affidavit, Sweeny submitted numerous fraudulent invoices to Centerplate and also allegedly stole cash deposits from the company vault.
One of the fraudulent invoices that Sweeny allegedly submitted for reimbursement was one for $33,166 for Tommy Bahama merchandise that he said he had purchased from Plantation House. According to Centerplate’s internal auditors, Plantation House does not sell Tommy Bahama merchandise.
The arrest warrant also claims that on several occasions Sweeny took cash totaling almost $20,000 from the Centerplate vault to pay for for invoices submitted by Stadium Management Company (the Denver Broncos). However, Centerplate auditors said Stadium Management never received the payments.
The affidavit said that Sweeny used Centerplate money totaling $30,000 to rent apartments during the Democratic Convention. However, Centerplate said Sweeny never had permission to enter the apartment leases.
Sweeny surrendered on the arrest warrant on Tuesday. He is scheduled to appear in Denver County Court on May 18.
Howard Pankratz: 303-954-1939 or hpankratz@denverpost.com
