Woman Allegedly Left $5,000 'Revenge Tip' At Restaurant On Her Boyfriend's Credit Card

Serina Wolfe allegedly paid the $55.37 check with Michael Crane's card — and added a $5,000 tip.

July 03, 2019
Mug shot of Serina Wolfe [Pinellas County Sheriff's Office]

Photo by: Mug shot of Serina Wolfe [Pinellas County Sheriff's Office]

Mug shot of Serina Wolfe [Pinellas County Sheriff's Office]

By: Catherine Townsend

CLEARWATER, FL — A New York woman who got into a fight with her boyfriend during a trip to Florida has been arrested after she allegedly used his credit card to pay for a restaurant meal in the Sunshine State — and added a $5,000 tip on top.

The incident occurred after Serina Wolfe, 24, got into an argument with Michael Crane during a vacation in Clearwater, according to a criminal complaint cited by The Smoking Gun.

Investigators say that Wolfe got angry because she wanted Crane to pay for a plane ticket on a separate flight home for her, and he refused. Crane told police that after the fight he “placed a hold on his credit card,” but at some point later released the hold.

Once she had access to the Capital One card again, according to the complaint, Wolfe told investigators that she used it to have a meal at the Clear Sky Beachside Café in Clearwater Beach. Wolfe allegedly paid the $55.37 check with Crane's card — and added a $5,000 tip.

Wolfe's generous gesture made local news when it was reported that she gave the money to a waitress who was grieving the loss of her dog. A report by WFTS read: "The sizable tip came at a great time for the restaurant server, Ryan, who had recently put her dog down, according to Frenchy's & Clear Sky Corporate."

Crane reported the charge as fraudulent, but according to the complaint, the restaurant stated that they had already paid the waitress "for the amount of $5,000 for the tip.”

"Crane later spoke to the defendant and the defendant denied making the purchase," the complaint read. "Crane believes the defendant was drunk or trying to get back at him."

A Clearwater Police Department officer reported that Wolfe “voluntarily handed me the card and said this is the one I used to pay the $5,055.37 tab.”

Wolfe was arrested and charged with grand theft. She is being held in the county jail, and her bond has reportedly been set at $1,000. A judge has ordered her to have no contact with Crane.

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