HOMESTEAD, Fla. — Authorities say a brazen tip jar thief who hit businesses in both Homestead and Florida City is facing justice after his crimes were caught on camera.
At around noon on Aug. 18, police said Richard Morfa, 44, walked into Somi’s Café off Mowry Drive in Homestead and, without wasting any time, helped himself to a handful of cash from the tip jar.
He did that not once, but twice, said employee Claudia Rodriguez, who said she only realized what was happening after one of her customers confronted Morfa.
That customer took some of the money right out of Morfa hand and put it back in the tip jar.
Rodriguez said the crook claimed the money was for gas, but added that doesn’t justify what he did, saying they are tips that she works hard for.
It turns out that same day, authorities said Morfa struck again, this time at Top Taste Jamaican Restaurant off Northwest 12th Street and Third Avenue in Florida City.
“He walk up so I took my eye off of him looking at my phone, and he was the with the cashier and the cashier just turned back to serve the food and he slipped the pan away,” said owner Derek Anderson.
Morfa wasn’t fazed by the fact that multiple cameras were watching his every move, according to police, and Anderson said the whole reason he was inside the restaurant was because he was picking up an order for his job working for DoorDash.
That same day Morfa is accused of stopping at a Homestead Dairy Queen where employees said he’s seen swiping the tip jar right off the counter.
Images of the suspect quickly spread across social media and it didn’t take long before Homestead police said they tracked him down.
Less than a week later, an officer spotted Morfa making a delivery at Baptist Health Homestead Hospital and took him into custody.
Police said Morfa admitted he took the tip jars, saying he had a drug problem.
He is now facing multiple counts of petit theft and has since bonded out of jail.
Local 10 News reached to DoorDash, which responded with the following statement:
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