Dan Kaufman, the manager of several Brooklyn Heights eateries who is accused of credit-card fraud and identity theft, has a bad reputation in Boston, too, The Brooklyn Paper reports. A grand jury will meet this week to determine whether to indict Kaufman for allegedly stealing credit-card numbers from customers at two Busy Chef locations, the pizzeria Oven, Blue Pig, and the Wine Bar. Kaufman surrendered to police on July 17 after nearly $25,000 was charged to nineteen customers’ credit cards. (A suspicious employee caught Kaufman in the act and began gathering evidence.) His girlfriend bailed him out for $50,000, and Kaufman is now avoiding the press. Back in Boston, a former landlord has sued Kaufman for opening several restaurants but failing to pay some $40,000 in rent. One supplier withdrew Kaufman’s line of credit after he was owed $10,000: “He screwed people three ways to Sunday. I don’t know how he does it — he can look at you smiling and lie to your face, and not even bat an eyelash.” Sounds like the perfect person to run a restaurant. No wonder he’s been so busy.
Busy Chef in Hiding as New Charges Loom [Brooklyn Paper]
