Port St. Lucie - Wednesday February 21, 2024: The Port St. Lucie Police Department (PSLPD) has charged 52-year-old Edward Manuel Santana of Port St. Lucie with one felony count of Extortion.
PSLPD detectives began an investigation last month, on January 29th, after Kyle Greene, the owner of Kyle G’s Oyster Wine Bar, contacted the Department alleging that Santana was attempting to extort his business.
Greene told police that Santana first came to his restaurant a few months ago. Staff members who served him said he was "difficult, rude, and confrontational". He came back again on January 9th of this year and again, Greene said, he was "ill-mannered and rude to the bartender" and disturbed the peace of the restaurant. The on-duty manager at the time told Santana to leave, and advised him that he would no longer be welcome at the restaurant.
Greene thought the issue was resolved, but a few weeks later, Santana began calling, and emailing him directly, as well as sending emails and calling the phone number used by the general public. Santana, he said, demanded to be paid $3,000, or that he would file a lawsuit against Mr. Greene for $65,000 for refusing to hire him as a host back in 2023. Santana said he would claim he was refused a job at the Oyster Bar, citing factors like age, gender/sex, and ethnicity, and claiming that he was refused service because of his Hispanic ethnicity.
Greene told the investigators that Santana had never applied for a job at his restaurant and that was not turned away because of his ethnicity.
One of the emails from Santana reads:
“Now you probably know that I've sued approximately 100 restaurants and got paid for every single one of them with the exception of Ruth`s Chris Steakhouse in Coral Gables, FL and I took it all the way to a five (5) day trial. Guess what? I lost the trial only because I was convicted of theft back in 2007. This Trial was in January 2011. But Ruth`s Chris Steakhouse spent $100,000.00 in Attorney Fees over a 1.5 year period and $20,000.00 in Attorney COSTS.
Ruth`s Chris has tried to garnish my wages, bank accounts and car but I don`t own a car nor drive, I don`t have a bank account and I don`t work as I live with my family for FREE and get Food Stamps ($300.00) as I`m INDIGENT (which means poor as your grammar and vocabulary is not as eloquent as mine). That means when I file both of my Lawsuits I will be saving $800.00 on the filing fees, sheriff and U.S. Marshall.
So it doesn`t cost me a penny to pursue these lawsuits against your snarky @#$%. Now I KNOW at some point you WILL be paying me for Discrimination, Slander and Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress. I`ll\ make sure I attach your email you just sent me just a bit ago to my two (2) lawsuits as you`ve met your match and I`m not the one to be messing with as you got it all twisted.
Finally, I will be going to your restaurant very soon and I will tell call the police and tell them that Kyle G`s restaurant, managers and owners have banned me due to Discrination based on my Ethnicity and I`ll tell them to look how most or all of your front of the house employees (servers, bartenders and greeters) are either white or black with NO Latino/Hispanic Servers, Hostesses and Bartenders YOU RACIST CHEAP @#%%. FYI, I will be filing a separate lawsuit against Kristen Acosta in Circuit Court (a/k/a). I`ll await your Kind and Educated (unlike your ignorant and rude @#$%) attorney`s phone call or email by this Wedneday January 31, 2024 at 5 pm (ET). I hope you all the best you THIEF (a/k/a wage theft) and RACIST. Kind Regards, Eddie Santana.”
An internet search of “Eddie Santana Makes Six Figures by Suing Restaurants from the Inside” revealed a news article alleging that Mr. Santana has attempted or succeeded in similar acts throughout south Florida.
Santana was served an arrest warrant and charghed on February 9th.
PSLPD is asking that any other restaurants or businesses in Port St. Lucie that may have been a victim of Santana to contact the Port St. Lucie Police Department at 772-871-5001.