HEMPFIELD TOWNSHIP, Pa. — A former general manager of a Westmoreland County IHOP is accused of falsifying payroll records to collect thousands of dollars from the restaurant.
Aldo Maya Garcia, 45, is charged with theft, identity theft and tampering with records, according to the Westmoreland County District Attorney’s Office.
In August 2024, The Peachtree Partners, the owner of the IHOP franchise on Route 30 in Hempfield Township, told police that a former manager was suspected of making fake employee payroll entries to benefit himself.
Financial records dating back to April 2024 reportedly showed that 21 checks were suspected of being fake, totaling almost $11,000, the DA’s office says.
“That kind of sounds insane. Like, I’d never imagine something like that happening,” said Max Marecic of Hempfield.
“General managers make good money, so I don’t know why he’s stealing that much,” added Raul Andres of Greensburg. “That’s just like really petty and disgusting.”
Although employees clock in and out through a system inside the restaurant, police found that the fake time entries were made remotely.
The company said Maya Garcia would have had company computer access because he was a manager.
Investigators claim Maya Garcia entered three additional shifts for a former employee and created 18 shifts for a fake employee that were endorsed for mobile deposit.
According to police, the IHOP lost a total of $12,804 because of the fraudulent activity.
Financial records showed the fraudulent checks were deposited into two separate accounts that Maya Garcia owned, the DA’s office says.
Maya Garcia reportedly had been charged in connection with similar thefts while he was the general manager of an IHOP in Montgomery County, Ohio. Those charges stem from an incident in Dayton, Ohio in 2023.
“That’s even worse,” Andres said. “I think IHOP should have done a better background check. There’s no reason for it to have happened two times in a row. It should be one and done. They need to do a better job managing people, all these big restaurant chains.”
Court records show Maya Garcia, 45, of Cincinnati, is being held in the Westmoreland County Prison and has been unable to post his bail, set at $75,000.
He’s scheduled to appear before Judge Scott A. Fanchalsky at 10 a.m. Wednesday, July 9, for a preliminary hearing.
Channel 11’s Andrew Havranek emailed both the IHOP Corporate Offices and The Peachtree Partners, owners of the Hempfield IHOP location asking for comment, but has not heard back.
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