FREEHOLD, NJ — A former manager of two Pennsylvania fast-food restaurants was sentenced to time in prison after pleading guilty to charges stemming from providing drugs and alcohol to underage employees and indecently assaulting two 14-year-old workers on the job, the Bucks County District Attorney's Office said.
Richard Mark Brooks, 33, formerly of Freehold, pleaded guilty in May to possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, corruption of minors, selling or furnishing alcohol to a minor, distribution of a small amount of marijuana, and possession of a controlled substance.
He also entered no-contest pleas to two counts of indecent assault, authorities said.
The charges against Brooks followed a joint investigation by the Plumstead Township Police Department and the Central Bucks Regional Police Department that started in April 2025.
The investigation began when Plumstead Township Police received a ChildLine report alleging that a juvenile employee was being groomed by a general manager at Saladworks, located on Swamp Road in the township.
Detectives later found a pattern of similar conduct spanning from 2020 through 2024 involving minor employees at both Saladworks and a Wendy's restaurant on North Main Street in Doylestown Borough, where Brooks previously served as general manager.
The investigation found that Brooks indecently assaulted two teenage employees without consent, one inside a bathroom at the Wendy's and the other in the walk-in freezer, also at the Wendy's, authorities said.
According to investigators, he regularly supplied underage workers with alcoholic beverages, medical marijuana cartridges, nicotine products, and his prescription Adderall.
He also furnished several minor employees with keys to his former Doylestown apartment, encouraging them to use it freely, authorities said.
On Wednesday, Brooks was sentenced to 11½ to 23 months in the Bucks County Correctional Facility.
The sentence was in the aggravated range of the applicable sentencing guidelines and will require Brooks to register as a sex offender until 2041, authorities said.
Assistant District Attorney Victoria Pollock prosecuted the case and read a victim impact statement on behalf of a victim's mother.
During arguments, Pollock emphasized that Brooks exploited his position over the victims, describing his actions as a "sustained abuse of power, trust, and vulnerability."
As part of the sentence handed down by President Judge Raymond McHugh, Brooks was designated a Tier I sex offender and will be subject to mandatory sex offender registration requirements for 15 years.
"This defendant preyed upon young workers, abusing his supervisory role to exploit their trust and expose them to harm," said District Attorney Joe Khan. "No one, especially teenagers, should ever have to fear being assaulted in their workplace."
"Thanks to the brave victims who came forward and the work of our law enforcement partners and ADA Pollock, this defendant is being held accountable for his predatory behavior."
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