Washington state waitress confesses to skimming $30,000

PORT ORCHARD, Wash. – A Washington state waitress has been charged with first-degree theft after authorities say she skimmed about $30,000 from a restaurant throughout the course of nine years.

The Kitsap Sun reports the Madison Diner waitress was caught after new restaurant owners installed sales software on the registers.

The 26-year-old told a Bainbridge Island Police detective the money helped fuel a gambling addiction. She was charged on Wednesday.

Prosecutors added an aggravator to the charge for the waitress being in a position of trust. If convicted of the theft and the aggravator, the judge would be able to hand down a longer sentence than outlined in state law.

Prosecutors accuse the waitress of pocketing all or some of the money from cash-paying customers and then canceling or modifying their bills.