BROOKVILLE, Pa. (EYT) – Court documents have revealed that a Strattanville woman who is accused of embezzling over $200,000.00 from the Denny’s Restaurant where she worked as a general manager signed a notarized statement admitting to her crimes.
The following charges were filed on Monday against 34-year-old Erika Elaine Kennedy:
- Theft By Unlawful Taking-Movable Property, Felony 2
- Receiving Stolen Property, Felony 2
- Tamper Records Or Id-Writing, Misdemeanor 2
The charges were filed by Brookville Borough Police Department at Magisterial District Judge Gregory M. Bazylak’s office.
According to a criminal complaint filed at Judge Bazylak’s office, the investigation was initiated on March 9 when Brookville Police were dispatched to the Allegheny Boulevard restaurant after a Denny’s regional manager reported a large sum of missing money.
The regional manager was notified of the deficit in deposited funds by a firm that oversees the company’s finances.
“The Denny’s bank deposit totals were not similar to the deposit funds that had been entered into the (computer) system,” according to the criminal complaint.
“It was believed that someone had been entering the correct deposit amount into the Denny’s accounting system, but failed to make the deposits reflecting the totals.”
The criminal complaint notes that since Brookville Denny’s is located inside a Flying J truck stop, cash register deposits are placed in a digital safe operated by Flying J. The deposit is first entered in the Denny’s accounting system and then physically deposited into the safe. Deposits are then entered in Fly J bank account by a private security company. Flying J then issues a payment to Denny’s bank account.
On February 16, 2022, the regional manager began to look into the deficit and believed there had been a mistake or another issue with the deposits. He contacted Erika Kennedy, the restaurant’s general manager; however, she did not answer his call.
He then contacted a shift leader and another employee who confirmed that Kennedy was the only person making deposits for the restaurant.
The regional manager then traveled to Denny’s in Brookville to further investigate the issue. Upon arrival at the store, he could not find any deposit slips. As of February 14, 2022, Kennedy could not provide any deposit receipts for the month of February.
According to the criminal complaint, the regional manager spoke on the phone with Kennedy, at which point she allegedly admitted to taking the money and told him she would pay it back.
On February 28, 2022, Kennedy signed a notarized statement, admitting she removed $217,159.37 from company funds without authorization, according to the criminal complaint.
Financial records revealed that the alleged thefts occurred over a nine-month period beginning on May 27, 2021:
- May 27, 2021 through June 30, 2021: $36,407.86
- June 30, 2021 through July 28, 2021: $21,806.94
- July 29, 2021 through August 25, 2021: $20,233.63
- August 26, 2021 through September 29, 2021: $17,231.80
- September 30, 2021 through October 27, 2021: $35,044.95
- October 28, 2021 through November2 4, 2021: $25,752.79
- November 25, 2021 through December29, 2021: $29,969.40
- December 30, 2021 through January 26, 2022: $17,511.73
- January 27, 2022 through February 23, 2022: $13,200.07
The regional manger provided Flying J safe records from June 25, 2021, through February 20, 2022. The records indicated no deposits were made from June 25, 2021, through July 12, 2021. On July 13, 2021, deposits were made in the amounts of $1,083.15, $1083.15, $1,350.00, $1005.63, and $983.37.
He said the amounts were “very strange and out of the ordinary for daily deposits” and believed they were “attempts by Kennedy to pay back the money she had previously taken,” according to the criminal complaint.
Records show only four deposits were made between July 14, 2021, and August 5, 2021. No other deposits were made until December 16, 2021, when a single deposit in the amount of $877 was made. Following that deposit, only nine deposits were made through February 16, 2022.
It is believed that Kennedy started making regular deposits again at this point due to the regional manager exposing the alleged crimes.
A warrant has been issued for Kennedy’s arrest.