Former Flanigan’s Manager Arrested for Allegedly Stealing $33,000

A 37-year-old former manager at a Flanigan’s Seafood Bar and Grill in Hallandale Beach has been arrested and charged with stealing more than $33,000 from the restaurant. Orlando Armin Villasmil Noriega was taken into custody Tuesday by the Hallandale Beach Police Department following an investigation into missing cash deposits spanning multiple weeks in April.

Noriega held the position of manager at the South Florida chain’s location at 4 N. Federal Highway, where he was tasked with depositing daily cash revenue at a nearby Bank of America branch each morning. According to police records, surveillance video documented him removing deposit bags containing nearly $9,000 on April 18 and an additional $5,000 on April 19, leaving the restaurant with the money rather than delivering it to the bank.

During the period of April 23 through April 26, Noriega served as the closing manager and was responsible for preparing deposits and securing them in the business safe for the next day’s opening. Police say deposits totaling more than $19,000 from those dates were never received by the bank, and investigators found no surveillance evidence of deposits being made at any time, including at night.

When confronted about the missing funds, a witness reported that Noriega claimed he had made nighttime deposits, a practice not authorized at that particular Bank of America location. On April 27, Noriega called in sick and subsequently informed the restaurant he was terminating employment and relocating to North Carolina in May.

Authorities determined that Noriega deprived the business of $33,091.06 in total. He faces one count of grand theft involving amounts greater than $20,000 but less than $100,000, with the restaurant seeking both incarceration and full restitution of the stolen funds.