DC Woman Sentenced For Stealing $364K From Downtown Restaurant

WASHINGTON, DC — A former bookkeeper for a Washington, D.C., restaurant was sentenced Thursday to two years in prison for committing wire fraud against her employer, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.

Jessica J. Lucas, 43, of the District of Columbia pled guilty in February 2020 to one count of wire fraud in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. In addition to her prison term, U.S. District Court Judge Thomas Hogan ordered Lucas to "pay restitution in the amount $364,004, as well as a forfeiture money judgment in the amount of $364,004," according to a Department of Justice news release.

Following her prison term, Lucas will be placed on three years of supervised release.

According to court papers, beginning around Jan. 1, 2015, and continuing through the end of February 2018, Lucas, who was employed as bookkeeper and cash handler for a downtown D.C. restaurant, implemented a scheme to steal from her employer.

A LinkedIn account appearing to belong to Lucas stated she worked as a bookkeeper at Old Ebbitt Grill — located near the White House at 675 15th St. NW — from May 2013 to February 2018, a DCist article from December 2019 reported. According to the LinkedIn page, Lucas previously worked as a bookkeeper at The Hamilton and 1789 Restaurant. Clyde’s Restaurant Group owns Old Ebbitt Grill, The Hamilton and 1789 Restaurant, DCist reported.

Lucas was responsible for ensuring her employer had sufficient cash in its safe and bars to conduct the restaurant’s business of serving food and beverages to customers.

As part of her employment, Lucas frequently ordered cash from the company’s financial institution in order for the restaurant to have a “cash fund,” which was supposed to be used to provide change to customers who paid in cash rather than by credit card, according to the U.S. attorney’s office.

As part of her scheme, Lucas regularly ordered more cash than was needed for operation of the restaurant, the U.S. attorney said, adding Lucas then stole a portion of the cash ordered and deposited the cash into her personal bank accounts.

In an effort to conceal her theft from her employer, Lucas falsified the monthly “change fund reconciliation reports” she sent to company management in which she reported there was more cash on hand than was actually in the safe, the U.S. attorney’s office said.

Both the FBI’s Washington Field Office and the Metropolitan Police Department investigated the case into Lucas.