Lake Tahoe Brewing Company owner arrested on theft charges

The owner and operator of Lake Tahoe Brewing Co., Michael Candelario was arrested on suspicion of theft Monday morning.

A warrant had been issued nearly two weeks ago for Candelario’s arrest for theft of property more than $3,500.

One victim has been confirmed so far to have lost $45,000 to Candelario, and more victims are being identified, said Carson City detectives.

The warrant for his arrest was filed following an investigation that showed that Candelario advertised beer canning equipment for sale on a brewing industry website and made an agreement with a brewery in British Columbia, Canada to sell the equipment.

The victim made payments to Candelario totaling over $45,000 but did not arrange for the equipment to be shipped to the Canadian brewer. The victim filed a report with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in British Columbia who forwarded the report to the Carson City Sheriff’s Office.

Candelario was arrested at 302 N. Carson Street, the former Carson City Lake Tahoe Brewing Company without incident and booked into the Carson City Detention Center Monday morning.

This comes just weeks after Candelario announced what he said was the temporary closing of the brewpub in Carson. Lake Tahoe Brewing Company and High Sierra Brewing Company announced on Jan. 30 that the two would merge and will brew and distribute both their independent brews and new lines of craft beers to be released later this year.

On Jan. 26, a lawsuit was filed against Lake Tahoe Brewing Company by Adams 302 N. Carson LLC, which owns the building. The lawsuit claimed Candelario violated his lease agreement and stopped paying rent and utilities. The suit was filed in Carson District Court and seeks not only damages but an order kicking Tahoe Brewing out of the building.

The complaint charges that Tahoe Brewing has yet to pay its January rent for the premises but has continued to maintain possession of the property. It says the brewery has also refused to pay invoices for reimbursement of utilities for the property.

The complaint asks a declaratory judgment granting the owners title to the personal property in the building as well as attorney’s fees, general damages in excess of $10,000, special and punitive damages to be settled at trial.

The Carson City Sheriff’s Office has discovered other possible fraud or theft victims in Carson City and other locations. Anyone with information concerning Michael Candelario or Lake Tahoe Brewing Company is encouraged to contact Detective Sam Hatley with the Carson City Sheriff’s Investigation Division at 775-283-7852 or at shatley@carson.org or contact Lt. Brian Humphrey at 775-283-7850.