A former Disney’s Animal Kingdom cast member has pleaded not guilty to grand theft after allegedly taking $2,193 in merchandise from World of Disney, then changing clothes to slip away. Her retail background is part of why investigators say she knew what she was doing.

A former Disney cast member is accused of walking out of a Disney Springs store with more than 100 stolen items, then changing her appearance to get away.

Up front: these are allegations. Cynthia Elizabeth Molina, 28, of Orlando, has pleaded not guilty to grand theft and robbery, and everything below comes from an Orange County Sheriff’s incident report, as reported by WDW News Today.

What the incident report alleges

The report says Molina took 100 items worth $2,193 from the World of Disney store on June 12.

According to the report, a cast member noticed her standing near the jewelry section with a large reusable bag, allegedly ripping locked-up bracelets off their hooks and dropping them into an already-full bag. Deputies later described the haul as Mickey Mouse plush, colored pencils, stationery pouches, bracelets, necklaces, phone straps, and other Disney merchandise.

The employee flagged a manager, and the two followed her. The report says the manager caught up, touched her arm, and told her she needed to pay. Molina allegedly shrugged him off and walked out, and when he moved to stop her, the report says she pushed him, so he backed off and called Disney Security instead.

The disguise, and how she was caught anyway

This is where it gets almost cinematic, in a low-stakes way.

Wearing a Toy Story shirt, Molina allegedly left World of Disney and headed to Raglan Road, the Irish pub over at Disney Springs. When she came back out, per the report, she had on a different shirt and had put her hair up in a bun.

It didn’t work. The employee and manager spotted two off-duty Orange County deputies right as Molina emerged, and both identified her despite the changed look. She was arrested and taken to the Orange County Jail.

Why her Disney background is part of the story

Here’s the detail that makes this more than a routine shoplifting report.

Molina used to work retail at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. The arrest report calls that out directly, noting she was “familiar with Disney’s policy concerning retail procedures, and more importantly theft as well as the uniforms worn by cast members and leads/supervisors.”

In other words, investigators think her old job matters. When she allegedly brushed off the manager despite him being in full Disney uniform with a badge and credentials, the report frames it as someone who knew exactly what a manager could and couldn’t do to stop her. A former retail cast member would know theft protocol from the inside, including how far an employee is allowed to go.

That’s the difference between a random grab-and-run and this. The person accused here allegedly used to be on the other side of that counter.

What happens next

For now, the case is open and unproven, and Molina has told her side.

She refused to answer the deputies’ questions, according to the report, but accused the manager of touching her first and asked them to pull the store’s video footage to prove it. Her lawyer did not comment.

So there’s a dispute baked in already. The report describes the manager as lightly tapping her arm; Molina alleges he touched her first. Surveillance footage exists, and in a case like this it may end up being the thing that settles whose account holds.

It’s one incident report and one set of charges, headed into a court process that hasn’t tested any of it yet. A not-guilty plea is on the record. The rest is up to the evidence.

Article compiled with the help of the Pirates & Princesses newsroom.

Pirates and Princesses is your destination for Disney news, theme park updates, and the pop culture you love. From Disney cruises and travel tips to Disney fashion, food, collectibles, and movie news, PNP covers it all. Visit us at piratesandprincesses.net for daily coverage. Follow PNP on Facebook and Instagram, and listen to the Pirates & Princesses podcast on Apple Podcasts and YouTube.

Hat Tips:

WDW News Today (August 10, 2026), Alice Kennedy’s reporting from the Orange County Sheriff’s incident and arrest reports, the charges, the not-guilty plea, the merchandise details, the disguise account, and the former-cast-member context

Former Disney cast member accused of stealing…