DORAL, Fla. — A former Starbucks employee was arrested on Tuesday for allegedly stealing his coworkers’ phones to access and send private sexual images without their consent, according to Doral police and court records.
Benjamin Alvarez, 25, was apprehended outside his home, where he lives with his parents, and faces four charges: sexual cyberharassment, offenses against computer users, third-degree grand theft, and resisting an officer without violence. His bond was set at $3,500.
The investigation began after a female coworker reported that Alvarez took her phone while it was charging in the manager’s office at the Starbucks located at 1380 NW 87 Ave. on July 11. The victim told police that Alvarez asked for her birth year, which inadvertently gave him access to her phone’s passcode. Later, she discovered that Alvarez had sent himself intimate photos and videos from her phone.
Doral police detectives learned that Alvarez admitted to taking the phone, and a subpoena revealed that the phone number used to send the images was registered to his father. Further investigation revealed that Alvarez had previously been involved in similar incidents but had not been reported.
Police arrested Alvarez around 8:20 a.m. Tuesday after speaking with his mother and waking him up. He was booked into the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center at 12:52 p.m. the same day, according to Miami-Dade inmate records.
In his court appearance on Wednesday, a judge ordered Alvarez to stay away from the victim. Prosecutors officially filed charges against him the same day.
This case has raised significant concerns about workplace privacy violations and digital consent, particularly in environments like retail spaces where shared work areas and personal devices intersect. Investigators are encouraging other potential victims to come forward.
