Identity theft charges mount against owner of Olathe BBQ restaurant

For the fourth time since December, the owner of a longtime Olathe barbecue restaurant has been charged with theft and identity theft charges.

The latest case against Matthew R. Sander, owner of Smokin' Joe's Bar-B-Q, was filed Wednesday in Johnson County District Court.

In the case, he is charged with two counts of identify theft, two counts of criminal use of a credit card and one count of theft.

The charges stem from transactions on Jan. 12 and Jan. 13 that were investigated by Overland Park police, according to court documents.

Sander was arrested on the charges Wednesday and was released from custody Thursday after posting a $25,000 bond.

He was already on bond in three other cases stemming from charges filed in December, on March 2 and on March 11.

Sander was charged March 11 with seven counts of identity theft, six counts of misdemeanor theft and single counts of felony theft and criminal use of a financial card.

Court documents supporting those charges alleged that a customer told Olathe police that he had dined at the restaurant on Santa Fe Street on Jan. 28, and the next day he could not find his card.

Prosecutors alleged that Sander racked up $7,355 in charges on a credit card left at the business by a customer.

Smokin' Joe's was the last place the customer said he visited. He called the restaurant and was told by employees they could not find the card. He canceled it the next day.

But when he looked at his credit card statement, he found a number of unauthorized purchases from Jan. 28.

Those included $859 spent at a liquor store, $2,134 at Bed Bath & Beyond, $1,575 at Kohl's, $936 at Academy Sports, $999 at The Home Depot and $322 at Garozzo's restaurant.

On March 2, Sander was charged with identity theft, criminal use of a financial card and theft.

Those charges stem from alleged crimes in Overland Park on Jan. 25 and involved a different victim than the one named in the March 11 allegations.

In December, Sander was charged with one count of felony theft involving the alleged theft of merchandise from a Sam's Club store in Overland Park.

This story was originally published April 5, 2018 at 1:40 PM with the headline "Identity theft charges mount against owner of Olathe BBQ restaurant."