A teenage waitress was arrested and accused of padding tips at a Bellevue restaurant.
The server, 19, worked at Goldbergs' Famous Deli at Factoria Mall.
Authorities say a teenage server at a Bellevue restaurant stole more than $4,000. Police say she added an average of $10 in tips per customer.
The owner tells KIRO 7 she started working in March and now they believe she started stealing in May.
The owner of the restaurant was tipped off when a customer called to say his bill was too high. The 77-year-old Bellevue resident spent $27 at the restaurant but was billed $37. That's when the owner said he went through all of the server's recent receipts and told KIRO-7 it was easy to see what she'd been doing. He said a customer might have a bill for $12 with a $2 tip, instead the server would add a "1" to the tip, making it $12.
"It was malicious, it was intense," said Benny Cukier, owner of Goldbergs' Famous Deli, "When it was brought to our attention by another client we immediately did an audit and we reacted that same day in calling Bellevue Police and ultimately she was arrested the same day."
Cukier said the 19 year-old was a good server. He had no idea she was ripping off customers. "Our servers are their own banks," explained Cukier, "they keep their own banks all day and at the end of the day we pay them or they pay us whatever the difference is."
The teen was arrested on July 4 and booked into the King County Jail for investigation of forgery. Police urge customers to check their bank accounts.
Goldbergs' Famous Deli promises to reimburse any customers impacted by the forgery.
Cukier said he is clear with his employees, "You steal, you're prosecuted. I don't care if you take a donut. I don't care if you take a cookie, you're prosecuted."
The 19-year-old from Kent spent one night in the King County Jail. Bellevue Police sent the case to the King County Prosecutor's Office and expect forgery charges to be filed.