The chef of the cable TV show "Ruggerio to Go" has been charged with cooking up a scheme to inflate credit card charges at his Manhattan restaurant.
David Ruggerio allegedly submitted fraudulent credit card payment requests that had bogus tips ranging from $5,000 to $30,000 added to the payment slips.Ruggerio and his bookkeeper, Desmond Brusch, were charged Monday with second-degree grand larceny, which is punishable by up to 15 years in prison.
The problem has more to do with bad bookkeeping than any intentional wrongdoing, said the chef's lawyer, Charles Carnesi. Ruggerio, 36, is "an excellent chef and an excellent author but not necessarily a very good businessman," he said.