JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - A Wacko's employee is behind bars for allegedly stealing more than $250,000 worth of jewelry and money from the gentlemen's club.
The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office arrested Samir H. Shihata, 37 on grand theft charges, as well as possession of substances, marijuana and the use of drugs.
The investigation began March 23 after two witnesses said someone stole 150 gold coins, rings and cash from a safe at Wacko's, totaling around $250,000. They suspected it was Shihata because he was one of the only three people who knew about the safe, but he didn't have a code. Upon looking, they said they found a hole in the ceiling above the safe big enough to contain a camera.
Shihata was an IT employee for the club.
Investigators questioned Shihata's roommate, who told police he found gold coins on their coffee table at one point, and that he noticed Shihata "suddenly start to live like a rock star."
Investigators also interviewed Shihata's girlfriend and she admitted that he was spending a lot of money on her, taking her on shopping spree's and spending thousands of dollars on clothes for her. She also said he bought scooters, cars and drones.
She said her brother found $10,000 in cash in Shihata's vehicle. She paid her brother $50 to keep quiet.
Shihata's girlfriend said she noticed he had a lot of rings, one of which he told her he was going to get remounted so he could propose to her.
On April 12, police issued a search warrant against Shihata. Upon their search, they also found pills of Viagra.
