Burger King manager stole from the safe to pay for car, rent and a new TV, police say
A Florida Keys man was jailed after police said he stole $61,500 from a fast-food restaurant while working as the general manager.
Patrick Lunique, 42, was arrested on a felony charge of grand theft after police said he admitted to stealing deposits from the safe at Burger King, 5401 U.S. 1, on Stock Island, between October 2019 and March 2020.
Lunique said he made $46,000 a year and regularly asked for a raise, according to the arrest report, but it wasn’t enough to pay his bills.
And it was easy to steal the cash, Lunique explained to Monroe County Sheriff’s deputies.
It started one day when Lunique said he found a cash deposit in the safe from months ago that never made it to the bank.
“He realized no one missed the money so he kept it,” deputies wrote in the report.
No one in accounting seemed to notice the missing cash so he continued to steal, he said.
Lunique said he had been “falling on hard times,” and had a $380 a month car payment, $1,500 a month rent, a new $500 television and credit card bills to take care of, so he stole, police reported.
“Lunique went on to explain that he has no drug, alcohol or gambling addictions and just needed more money,” police wrote.
He only stopped stealing when the district manager and accountant told him they discovered missing cash, police said.
Stuart Friedman, of Miami Beach, is the owner of the Burger King franchise store and wants to press charges, deputies said.
Lunique stopped showing up to work on March 10, police said.
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