Housekeeper pleads guilty to thefts at Yosemite’s Ahwahnee Hotel

A Fresno woman charged with a series of burglaries at the Ahwahnee Hotel in Yosemite National Park pleaded guilty Monday to first-degree burglary in federal jurisdiction and faces a maximum penalty of six years in prison and a $250,000 fine. She is set to be sentenced in federal court in Fresno on Nov. 2.

In November, a federal grand jury indicted Jennifer Crystal Downing, 39, on 16 counts of first-degree burglary and 16 counts of theft. According to court documents, Downing entered rooms in the Ahwahnee and stole cash from the hotel’s customers.

The burglaries and thefts began in March 2014 and continued through October. At the time, Downing was working on the housekeeping staff at the hotel.

This story was originally published August 17, 2015 at 2:18 PM with the headline "Housekeeper pleads guilty to thefts at Yosemite’s Ahwahnee Hotel."