Former Stanford Grill Bartender Sentenced for Theft at Restaurant

A former bartender at the Stanford Grill in Columbia will serve two weeks in jail for stealing $54,000 from his employer.

Lawrence Seth Lebow, 43, of the 7400 block of Willow Bottom Road in Sykesville, was sentenced to five years in jail, with all but 15 days suspended, according to a report provided by the Howard County state's attorney's office.

Previously, Lebow pleaded guilty to a theft scheme after Stanford Grill, located in the 8900 block of Stanford Boulevard in Columbia, reported accounting discrepancies that coincided with the days that he worked; officials said that he admitted to using two gift cards and replenishing the value on them to steal money.

As a trusted employee, Lebow had been given a manager’s access card enabling him to preload and void gift cards, and the investigation revealed that sometimes customers would pay cash for their drink tabs but gift cards were used to satisfy the bills, and he pocketed the cash, according to his plea agreement.

“I take full responsibility," Lebow reportedly said in the courtroom.

Because Lebow committed 900 theft transactions over a 30-week period, Assistant State's Attorney Colleen McGuinn asked the judge to sentence him to one year.

In addition to 15 days in jail five years of supervised probation, the judge ordered Lebow to pay restitution and attend Gamblers Anonymous meetings twice weekly.