Ex-Earthquakes Stadium manager pleads guilty

He admits to ruining food sales, which led to loss of about $270K

SAN JOSE >> A former contract manager for Earthquakes Stadium has pleaded guilty to sabotaging the venue’s concessions system on Opening Day last year, leaving thousands of San Jose Earthquakes fans unable to buy food and inflicting a loss of about $270,000 on his ex-employer, according to federal prosecutors.

Salvatore A. La Rosa, 41, of San Jose entered his plea Feb. 17 in accordance with an agreement reached with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California.

At his sentencing, scheduled for May 19, La Rosa faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and $25,000 in fines plus restitution, for a charge of causing intentional damage to a protected computer.

He currently is free on bond.

A motive was not disclosed for the crime. But La Rosa’s imminent conviction comes after an FBI investigation found that Opening Day, Feb. 29, 2020, was nearly two months after he was terminated from a management position at Philadelphia-based Spectra Food Services and Hospitality, which provides concessions for the stadium.

According to the investigation and prosecutors, La Rosa accessed Spectra’s account at Bypass Mobile, an Austin, Texas-based company that provides online menu and payment applications for stadiums, and “transmitted programs, information, codes and commands” to delete menu and payment options for the stadium, resulting in the shutdown of all 204 terminals.

The ensuing inability to process normal sales and credit card transactions resulted in chaos for concessions workers and fans at the stadium that day. Staffers had to handwrite orders and use calculators to conduct cash sales, leading to delays, lost sales and angry customers, according to prosecutors.

In an effort to maintain goodwill from the fanbase, Spectra gave free food and beverage to club members and at a game a week later offered 50% discounts on all concessions.

The costs of the Opening Day losses and giveaways both then and at the next game are included in the amount of loss claimed.