Burmese restaurant employee charged with embezzlement

A woman has been charged with embezzling more than $200,000 from a popular Bay Area restaurant group, according to the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office.

The Oakland woman, who worked in human resources, payroll and risk management for Rangoon Ruby Investments LLC and Burma Ruby Investments LLC, is accused of paying herself bonuses and bumping up her salary without permission from February 2019 to October 2020, officials said. The restaurant groups have locations in Palo Alto, San Francisco and San Carlos.

Max Lee and John Lee, the owners of the restaurants, could not immediately be reached for comment.

The owner discovered the fraud in November 2020 after noticing accounting discrepancies, according to the District Attorney’s Office. The woman is accused of paying $65,000 for a Porsche and giving herself multiple $15,000 bonuses.

The woman has been charged with two counts of theft by an employee and could face prison time and be required to pay restitution if convicted, officials said. She was scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday afternoon in Santa Clara Superior Court.

“This theft happened during the height of the pandemic, when local restaurants were already struggling,” District Attorney Jeff Rosen said in a statement. “Please develop robust checks and balances for your business. Trust but verify. Your livelihood depends on it.”

Rangoon Ruby restaurant group and Burma Ruby were cited by the state labor commissioner in 2018 for $4.96 million in restitution and fines for underpaying employees.