Senior Daniel San manager Alberto D’Agostino admits in Manly Court to stealing $50,800
A senior manager at a popular northern beaches night spot, who admitted to stealing thousands of dollars from the restaurant’s cash till has been sentenced.
A senior manager at a popular northern beaches night spot, who admitted to stealing more than $50,000 from the till, has narrowly avoided going to jail.
Alberto D’Agostino, 33, of Freshwater, told management at the Daniel San Japanese restaurant and bar that he pilfered the cash to support his family in Italy after his father fell gravely ill.
But a sentencing hearing in Manly Local Court on Wednesday heard that none of the money the Italian citizen stole, over a period of 18 months, actually ended up in his home country.
Instead D’Agostino, who was the venue manager at the Manly bar since 2016, kept $35,800 in notes stuffed into a bum bag stored in his bedroom.
He admitted to theft after his boss confronted him over the missing cash. He pleaded guilty to a charge of steal property of master.
D’Agostino, who is a permanent resident in Australia, told police he was stealing and keeping the money in case his family suffered a financial emergency due to his father’s ill health.
In a Facts Sheet tendered to court police said Daniel San management noticed a “significant and abnormal variance in cash and sales” on cash registers used by D’Agostino.
“When serving customers who were paying cash, the accused would fail to record the transaction and place the money in the cash register drawer,” the Facts Sheet said.
D’Agostino would hit the “no sale” key and then pocket the cash at the end of his shifts.
When he met with management on February 22, he admitted to stealing about $7000 since New Year’s Eve. He then agreed he stole another $5000 before finally revealing he stole $50,800 in total.
The Facts Sheet said that when D’Agostino took his boss to his flat, he produced wads of $50 and $100 notes that he kept in the bum bag.
He gave the cash back to management and electronically transferred $15,000 back to Daniel San from his bank account.
Management reported the theft to police on March 6.
D’Agostino’s solicitor James McLoughlin told the court that his client was not spending the money on himself.
“There is no evidence it was for self-indulgent spending and living the high life,” Mr McLoughlin said.
“He has no drug or gambling habits.
“In his mind he had concerns for his family back home.”
Mr McLoughlin said after he told his boss about the thefts, he could have fled the country but instead “he stayed to face the music”.
Magistrate Georgina Darcy heard that all the money was returned to Daniel San, but she said that the cash never made it to his family and he had it “stockpiled at home”.
She sentenced D’Agostino to 10 months in jail, but said he could serve the sentence in the community as part of a supervised Intensive Correction Order.
He must also complete 100 hours of community service.
D’Agostino declined to comment when he left court.
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