A former juvenile justice department employee stole $1.2 million worth of fajitas over nine years, the district attorney said.

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Gilberto Escaramilla would intercept orders and sell them to his own customers, Cameron County District Attorney Luis Saenz said.

"He would literally, on the day he ordered them, deliver them to customers he had already lined up," Saenz told the Brownsville Herald. "We've been able to uncover two of his purchasers, and they are cooperating with the investigation."

When Escaramilla missed a day of work for a medical appointment in August, a delivery driver showed up with 800 pounds of fajitas and another employee was baffled by the order - the juvenile department did not serve the sizzling entree.

Escaramilla was fired Aug. 8 and arrested at his house the following day, where investigators found fajita ingredients in his refrigerator.

Officials continued their investigation and arrested him last week on the more serious felony theft charge.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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