ST. LOUIS – Two men, Matthew Braasch and Mark Erney, have been accused of embezzling more than $1.4 million from the restaurant where they worked for years, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri.
On February 20, 2024, both Braasch and Erney were indicted on two counts of wire fraud in U.S. District Court in St. Louis. As high-level employees at a restaurant in Grantwood, Missouri, they had been entrusted with corporate credit cards, with the understanding that they would only use them for legitimate business expenses.
However, investigations revealed that Braasch used the company credit card for personal expenses, including $81,965 at Target, over $31,000 at Vineyard Vines, $39,634 at Amazon, and $10,000 on local hotel stays. Other extravagant charges included $1,600 for a golf outing, $2,460 for RV storage, $5,425 for St. Louis Cardinals tickets, and $2,681 for a Disney World vacation.
Erney also allegedly spent a significant amount of money on personal expenses, including $155,696 at Amazon, $37,000 at bars and restaurants, $5,600 on two couches, and $3,943 at a men’s health product supplier.
Due to the embezzlement, the restaurant reportedly struggled to pay for essential business operations, including purchasing food and paying state taxes. The office further alleges that the two men took out loans to cover the shortfall and hid the scheme from leadership. In an attempt to conceal the fraud, Braasch is said to have posed as a manager when state investigators tried to collect back taxes.
Erney turned himself in on March 7, 2024, and pleaded not guilty, while Braasch had already been arraigned on February 25, 2024.
