Tiger King Star Charged with Grand Larceny for Stealing Wynn Las Vegas Candelabra

Posted on: January 12, 2022, 05:32h. 

Last updated on: January 12, 2022, 02:11h.

Philip Conneller @casinoorgphilc Read More
Expertise: Gaming Business, Regulation, Tribal Gaming.

Masha Diduk, Tiger King’s so-called “hot nanny,” has gone from big cats to grand larceny, TMZ reports. Diduk has been charged by Las Vegas police with stealing a $5,000 candelabra from Wynn Las Vegas.

Tiger King
Masha Diduk, the “hot nanny” from Netflix’s Tiger King, has been charged with grand larceny over candelabra theft from Wynn Las Vegas. (Image: Masha Diduk/Instagram)

Last July, Wynn security cameras spotted a woman alleged to be Diduk removing the furnishing from a private dining room at the casino, according to the arrest report seen by TMZ.

Diduk was later seen “wearing”  the missing item. At that time, the candelabra was shaped like a coiled serpent, and so it could pass for an accessory that spiraled around her forearm.

Casino security checked the name on the ticket the suspect had used to valet her car and obtained her license plate. Then they matched the name to the face on the security video by checking Diduk’s Instagram account, where the social media influencer has 419,000 followers.

They also saw the Las Vegas-based model had posted pictures of herself in the casino on the night of the alleged crime.

Salacious Overtones

Tiger King was the Netflix reality TV hit of early lockdown. It chronicled the trials and grudges of flamboyant Oklahoma zoo owner Joe Exotic and the interconnected, often-feuding community of big cat collectors.

Prior to its release, Exotic was arrested and sentenced to 22 years in a federal prison on 17 charges of animal abuse and two counts of attempted murder for hire. Prosecutors said Exotic hired a hitman to kill his arch-rival, Carol Baskin, the owner of a big cat sanctuary in Florida.

Diduk caused a stir when she was hired by Exotic’s then-business partner, Jeff Lowe, a Las Vegas playboy and former zoo owner, as a scantily dressed live-in nanny. This was much to the discomfort of Lowe’s wife, Lauren.

Diduk later told TMZ that despite the salacious overtones, she was a bonafide nanny to the couple and nothing more.

Did Wynn Inflate Candelabra Cost?

Now, she faces a possible one to five years in prison. In Nevada, grand larceny is the deliberate theft of property worth more than $1,200.

But in a final twist, Diduk is disputing the value of the stolen item. In an Instagram post this week, she claimed she found the exact same piece, a brass “Serpentis” candelabra by the House of Hackney on sale for $312 (candle not included). The listing of that item can be found here.

The Serpentis brass candelabra on sale at the House of Hackney website. At $312, it’s somewhat cheaper than the $5,000 Wynn claim.

If it is the same candelabra, Diduk should have been charged with petty theft, which comes with a maximum six-month sentence. If it’s her first offense, she may even dodge prison altogether, provided she agrees to pay restitution to Wynn.