The former general manager of Hank’s Oyster Bar in Old Town was sentenced to 30 months in prison after pleading guilty to embezzling $680,000 from the restaurant.
Claude Ibrahim, 53, was sentenced to 30 months imprisonment after pleading guilty last fall to nine counts of felony embezzlement and eight counts of misdemeanor embezzlement. She admitted to creating “biographical and deposit information for five fictitious employees at Hank’s Oyster Bar and submitted biweekly timesheets for them while receiving their pay,” according to Commonwealth’s Attorney Bryan Porter.
“This sentence sends the message that large scale fraud will be treated seriously in Alexandria,” Porter said. “Over the course of several years, the defendant abused the trust placed in her by her employer and engaged in literally hundreds of illegal acts during the pendency of the fraud scheme. Such rampant criminality is deserving of a significant term of active incarceration.”
Ibrahim also admitted to updating the bank information for the fake employees, and also gave them raises.
Ibrahim was also sentenced to 12-and-a-half suspended years for each felony, as well as one year for each misdemeanor, on condition that she have no contact with the owner of the restaurant, pay back $591,000 (after she already paid back $90,000) and be on uniform good behavior for 20 years following her release.
Image via Hank’s Oyster Bar/Facebook