Friday, August 18

Waitress charged with altering tips

A Palm Beach waitress was arrested and charged with credit card fraud and organized scheme to defraud Monday after she changed the tip amounts on customers' credit card receipts over a period of seven months, police said.

According to Palm Beach police, Tara Ann O'Brien, 25, of 725 Glenridge Drive in West Palm Beach, is accused of adding extra money onto the tips written in by breakfast customers at Cucina dell' arte, 257 Royal Poinciana Way, since Jan. 9. The discrepancies were uncovered during an audit by one of the restaurant's managers, who contacted police.

The police report says O'Brien altered the receipts of 62 patrons, receiving $1,305 in extra, fraudulent tips.

One customer, according to police, had used his credit card to purchase a $25.03 breakfast. When contacted by police, he said he had written a $6 tip for O'Brien. The police report said the receipt had been altered to indicate a $16 tip with an unauthorized, revised total of $41.03. Another customer was overcharged 12 times for a total of $110 in extra tips O'Brien had given herself, police said.

She was taken to the Palm Beach County Jail where she was released Monday on $3,000 bond.

O'Brien is no longer employed at Cucina, according to manager Nicholas Coniglio.

source

12 Comments:

Blogger Booster MPS said...

Amazing, I used to go there all the time when I lived in West Palm a couple years ago. The customers are very much the Palm Beach elite but that far from justifies what she did.

8/18/2006 10:30 AM  
Blogger FreeCyprus said...

Congrats on being a blog of note!

-- FreeCyprus
Hellenic Reporter

8/18/2006 12:37 PM  
Blogger Greg said...

How do you feel about Rachael Ray's show "$40 a day" when she tips about 83 cents for lunch?

8/18/2006 3:12 PM  
Blogger chumly said...

What is the proper percent for tips today?

8/18/2006 8:21 PM  
Blogger pepe said...

Gee, that's bad ! And I thought I heard it all.

8/18/2006 9:52 PM  
Blogger Kay Richardson said...

I always give waitresses a wink.

8/19/2006 12:52 PM  
Blogger Brett A. Bumgarner said...

According to my waitress sister, not only does Christina Aguilera not tip, she even skipped out on her bill entirely.

8/19/2006 6:09 PM  
Blogger Jammu said...

this is a great idea! why didn't i think of that? wait, because its illegal that's why

8/19/2006 10:46 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Congratulations!


Best regards
MyBlog

8/20/2006 11:32 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

GREAT SITE! Does your tip jar get filled? I often wodered that about vitual tip jars.

www.critiquemyblog.blogspot.com

8/20/2006 8:16 PM  
Blogger Sam Casley said...

I waited tables for two years and I'm finally out! No more unfillfilled expectations with tips. Haha! My old guests can kiss it! Cool blog though, I thought about doing something like it way back.

8/20/2006 9:37 PM  
Blogger Bulent Akman said...

Couldn't ever happen to me. Whichever way I pay. My servers always gets their tips in cash. Then it's up to them if they want to split tips with the kitchen and bar staff, or whatever. I also draw hard black lines off the front and back of my bill when I have to write something (it happens). Finally, I tip to encourage good service for the next time and hey, no joke, servers remember you one way or the other so if you're a regular somewhere: tip early, tip often. Clean food anyone?

8/21/2006 12:30 AM  

Post a Comment

<< Home