Australian Restaurant Manager Jailed 16 Months for Armed Robbery and Theft to Pay Debts

A 40-year-old Australian restaurant manager has been sentenced to 16 months in prison after committing armed robbery against a licensed moneylender and stealing from his workplace to pay off debts.

Jose Manuel Pacheco, pleaded guilty on Friday, 7 Mar 2025, to three charges including theft, intimidation, and criminal breach of trust.

Armed Robbery at Licensed Moneylender

On 3 Jun 2024, at about 1:42PM, Pacheco entered an Accredit licensed moneylending shop in Tampines wearing a black hat and mask.

He was carrying a black travel bag in his left hand and a knife in his right hand.

Pacheco threw the black bag onto the victim’s laptop and pointed the knife at her, demanding she put money into the bag.

The victim, who was alone in the shop, complied out of fear.

She opened a drawer to take out cash. When she tried to pick up her laptop, Pacheco stopped her and forcibly closed it.

Not satisfied with the amount of money in the bag, Pacheco demanded more.

The victim opened other cabinets and drawers to show there was no more cash before he left.

The entire incident was captured on the shop’s CCTV cameras.

When police arrived at the scene, they found Pacheco sitting at the ground floor of Block 505 in Tampines Central, not far from the crime scene.

He immediately admitted to the robbery and surrendered to the police. Officers found a knife and $6,095 in cash in his travel bag.

Pacheco stated that he committed the robbery because he needed money to repay debts to both legal and illegal moneylenders.

Misappropriation of Company Funds

While working as a general manager at Tapas Club, Pacheco also misappropriated the company’s cash earnings.

In February 2024, Pacheco applied for a loan from the company to repay his debts.

The company agreed to provide him with a $25,300 loan, with arrangements to deduct $2,000 monthly from his $10,000 salary.

Taking into account the financial stress Pacheco was experiencing, the company reduced his workload, limiting his management responsibilities to just their VivoCity outlet instead of three restaurants.

On 13 May 2024, Tapas Club discovered that $9,293 in cash earnings from the VivoCity restaurant had gone missing.

This money was supposed to be under Pacheco’s care.

Pacheco initially claimed he forgot to deposit the money in the bank.

When the company sent someone to check the restaurant’s safe, they found it empty. Only then did Pacheco admit to using the money to pay off his debts.

During mitigation, Pacheco’s lawyer mentioned that his client was in debt and suffering from depression.

He expressed deep regret and asked the judge for leniency.

The judge noted that while a psychiatric assessment showed Pacheco’s depression was linked to his criminal behavior, he was fully aware of his actions at the time.

The judge also pointed out that Pacheco had planned the robbery carefully, choosing that specific shop to get quick cash.

CCTV footage showed Pacheco pointing the knife at the victim for over a minute, making a deterrent sentence necessary.