ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. – A southern Illinois man has been charged in connection with a high-dollar theft at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in St. Louis County last summer.
Kristian J. Sanders, who is accused of stealing $315,000 from a hotel guest’s room on August 11, 2024, was issued a criminal summons by a St. Louis County Circuit Court judge. According to the Clayton Police Department’s probable cause statement, the victim reported that his hotel room had been ransacked and the large sum of cash taken from his suitcase.
The victim told investigators he had dinner with a woman at the hotel before they went to a casino. He gave her a key to his room during the evening. After the woman complained of feeling sick, she briefly left the dinner table and eventually rejoined him, and they went to the casino. At some point during their time at the casino, the woman left, and after she and the victim returned to the hotel, police said Sanders entered the room using the key the woman had given him.
Hotel surveillance video and other evidence helped police identify Sanders as the person who stole the cash, which was concealed in a red backpack with white stars. Further investigation revealed that shortly after the theft, the woman purchased a 2022 Chevrolet Trailblazer with a $13,000 cash down payment, and Sanders used cash to buy a Dodge Charger for $24,000.
Law enforcement later discovered more than $95,000 in cash at the couple’s shared residence, along with receipts for several high-value purchases made after the theft, including clothing, electronics, and jewelry. The woman admitted to giving Sanders the hotel room key, but no charges have been filed against her at this time, according to online court records.
Sanders has been charged with stealing $25,000 or more and is scheduled to appear in court on February 25, 2025.