A former manager at SeaWorld pleaded guilty May 5 to wire fraud when he defrauded SeaWorld out of $818,000 by creating 100 invoices on his company computer for a phony merchandise company that claimed to sell products to the marine mammal park.
Sebastian Jobin, 47, also pleaded guilty to filing a false tax return in which he never reported the illegal funds he received.
On Friday, U.S. District Court Judge Jeffrey Miller renewed his earlier order to detain Jobin without bail in the Metropolitan Correctional Center.
Sentencing was set for Aug. 5. Jobin could receive a maximum sentence of 23 years in federal prison.
Jobin billed SeaWorld from a sham business he created called SJ Merchandise. He claimed packages of merchandise such as “sea creature rings,” “purple shiny ornaments” and wildlife animal bookmarks were sold to SeaWorld, but no deliveries or packing slips could be found.
The company’s address was listed as his own residence in Mission Hills, and he was suspended from SeaWorld on Jan. 22, 2015 when they discovered a link between him and SJ Merchandise. His name and his former roommate were listed as co-owners with the California Secretary of State.
Some of the invoices were billed for less than $10,000, which is a financial threshold that would have triggered scrutiny by SeaWorld management.
“We are dedicated to protecting our local businesses, citizens, and taxpayers from corruption,” said U.S. Attorney Laura Duffy in a statement. “Business insiders who abuse the trust of their employers and the community will be held accountable and brought to justice.”
Court documents also show that Jobin defrauded the co-owner of SJ Merchandise through identity theft and used credit cards in his name. That man was left with debt of $177,000.
Jobin was charged under his full legal name of Wilfred David Joseph Jobin-Reyes, but used the name of Sebastian Jobin in business and entertainment ventures. He was arrested in Dallas in March.
“Mr. Jobin-Reyes abused his position as a manager at SeaWorld for his own selfish gain; when that was not enough he went on to defraud the government by claiming false expenses and failing to report significant income on his tax return,” said Aimee Schabilion, acting special agent for IRS Criminal Investigation.