Illinois man arrested for running $6K tab at Ritz-Carlton with fraudulent credit card

A 39-year-old convicted felon was arrested by Collier deputies on Friday after he ran up a $6,000 tab at the Ritz Carlton Hotel and then said he couldn’t pay it.

Eric Louis, of Illinois, faces a charge of swindling an establishment, four counts of fraud for possessing a similitude of a driver’s license, one count of possessing a skimming device, one count of giving false information to law enforcement, one count of marijuana possession under 20 grams and one count of possession of drug paraphernalia.

Louis had checked into the hotel under the false name of Lester Cook, according to an arrest report from the Collier County Sheriff’s Office.

Louis was arrested after a manager at the hotel on Vanderbilt Beach Road became worried because Louis incurred $6,000 in charges, but the credit card originally on file declined several times, the arrest report states.

Hotel management called the sheriff’s office because they were going to bring the matter to Louis’ attention but wanted a deputy present.

He told hotel management he could not pay his bill because he lost his other credit cards after his luggage was lost at the airport. However, his story changes several times, according to the report, and he ended up admitting he had driven to Naples.

Louis gave law enforcement a different name than Lester Cook and provided them with different dates of birth, but it wasn’t until he was booked into jail that he was identified as Louis.

In Louis’ room, authorities found wallets that contained different forms of ID, debit cards, a skimming device, and at least eight debit cards all issued to Louis.

Authorities also found debit cards, social security cards, and driver’s licenses with other names on them.

Louis was arrested and transported to Naples Jail Center.