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Former Masa Bookkeeper Stole Nearly 100K To Feed Porn Addiction
By
Rebecca Fishbein
Published Mar 24, 2013
Modified Mar 24, 2013
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By
Rebecca Fishbein
Published Mar 24, 2013
Modified Mar 24, 2013
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There was something a little, ah, fishy with the books at UWS sushi spot Masa; turns out a former bookkeeper had a little obsession with adult live porn websites, and stole nearly $100,000 from the restaurant to feed his habit. Yum!
Rafael Thomas, 41, pleaded guilty Friday to embezzling about $96,000 over thirteen months in 2011-2012, and admitted he was cooking the books to cover up his theft. Prosecutors say he cashed corporate checks, altered his vacation days and gave himself an $18,000 raise, among other tactics, and he spent more than half that money on porn.
Management at the very swanky Masa, which is located at the Time Warner Center at Columbus Circle and charges about $650-per-person for dinner, fired Thomas when they figured out what he was up to. “Fortunately, the company has policies and procedures in place that caught the wrongdoing, and this matter is now in the hands of the authorities", they said in a statement. Thomas, who lives in the Bronx, faces about a year in prison for attempted grand larceny and falsifying business records, and we expect he'll have a hard time overcoming that live porn addiction in the big house.
Tagged
columbus circle
manhattan
masa
Porn
rafael thomas
Upper West Side
Rebecca Fishbein
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