Who stole $70K from a Bradenton restaurant? Deputies charge a manager
A Bradenton restaurant manager faces a felony charge after detectives say he disabled power and surveillance systems at his workplace before stealing thousands from the safe.
Prosecutors charged 28-year-old Ibrahim Murad Muflih Diek, who managed Sam’s Seafood at 3108 First St. in Bradenton, with second-degree grand theft, alleging he stole about $70,000 from the restaurant’s safe, according to court records.
An attorney representing Diek did not immediately respond to the Bradenton Herald’s request for comment.
Thousands stolen from Bradenton restaurant, deputies say
According to an arrest report, employees arriving for work around 7:30 a.m. on Aug. 27 found the restaurant without power and Diek absent from his scheduled shift.
Later that afternoon, a night manager discovered the main breaker inside the building had been flipped and the restaurant’s digital video recorder was missing from the office.
The night manager contacted the owner of Sam’s Seafood, who told him to call law enforcement because money had gone missing from the restaurant during a previous power outage. That earlier incident was never reported to police, and there were no surveillance cameras in place at the time, but Diek was suspected of taking the money, according to investigators.
Manatee County Sheriff’s Office deputies investigating the August incident found the safe empty with no signs of forced entry, according to an arrest report.
Man charged with grand theft from workplace
Investigators wrote that Diek was the only person besides the restaurant owner who had the code to the safe. They also noted the person responsible appeared to have knowledge of how to bypass the alarm system, access the electrical panel and remove the surveillance system DVR.
Surveillance footage from a neighboring business showed a white SUV at the restaurant between 5:41 a.m. and 5:52 a.m., according to the report. Detectives said the vehicle matched a white Mercedes SUV registered to Diek. A traffic camera recorded the vehicle less than a mile from the restaurant shortly afterward, the report says.
Diek later posted $7,500 bond and pleaded not guilty, demanding a jury trial. His next court date is scheduled for April 29.
