Employer accused me of stealing from a guests car! Valet company!!

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bobertlt23

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I work for a valet company that is contracted out by a Casino & Hotel.

A few days ago I go to my job, where I am a valet attendent. I am performing my duties as I was trained to do. Well a black suv pulled in about half way through my shift, wanting to valet at the hotel. I take the couples name and give them a ticket and tell them how to retreive their vehicle. Before they walk away I noticed some cash laying in the cup holders that are built into the console. I asked the female if she would grab the money, so that someone walking by the vehicle wouldnt assume it was a lot of money and break into the vehicle. It also helps protect us. She said ok and took the money and I parked the vehicle in the garage. I thought nothing of the incident until about an hour later when I came back from parking a vehicle and seen 4 security guards of the casino and a city cop.

The cop comes up to me and ask me my name. I tell him my information and he ask me, where is the 6 dollars. I asked him what six dollars and he said the 6 dollars that you stole from the vehicle. I then told him I didn't steal any money from any car.

He then went on to tell me that my boss had set up a "bait car" and he had placed 6 dollars into it and had a copy of the money, so that they could match the serial numbers. I told him again I didnt steal any money. He then asked to see all the money I had in my pocket. I pulled it all out and emptied all of my pockets to prove that I didnt have anything in them. He then compared all the bills I had to the copies and said none of these match. I tell him agian they wont match because I didnt steal anything. This whole time I couldnt find out what vehicle the cash was taken from. Although this whole time the boss never once checked with the couple who drove the black suv (bait car) to see if they removed the 6 dollars.

He then tells me that he is going to arrest me on probable cause and I will sit in jail from Wed. night til Mon. during the long holiday weekend. Well some where during this time he convinced me to admit to taking it, so that I could go home that night. He then went up to my boss and said none of his bills match, can you check the vehicle again to see if the money might be in there. The boss comes back and says the money is gone, I might have put the wrong bills in the bait car.

At this time my employee badge is taken, i am being questioned in front of other employees, friends and guests. This was extremely humiliating. I am told not to come back onto property and taken home by the cop, and told that a detective will be calling me the next day.

The next day I get a call at 9 A.M. from the detective asking me to stop into the station at 1 P.M. At 1 I arrive and meet the detective, who tells me that he is investigating a string of thefts from vehicles. He ask me about other items that were missing and I told him I was not involved in any of them.

The detective asked me if I would agree to a polygraph. I told him yes because I have nothing to hide. I them tell him about the black suv where I told the couple to remove the money. He told me he just talked to my boss earlier that day and that he said I no longer have a job and that he believed I was guilty.

The detective had no idea what kind of vehicle the "bait car" was as it wasn't in the officers police report. He then called my boss and placed the call on speaker phone and said "boss" I am calling about the "bait car" where "employee" is accussed of stealing 6 dollars. My boss the says "employee" did steal the money, he was the only person in the car. My boss then told the detective the "bait car" was a black suv and the money was in the cup holder in the middle console.

The detective then told me he believed I was innocent and that he would go to the casino & hotel and track down the owner of the "bait car".

Later that day I get a call from the detective, and he informs me that he got the couples information from the front desk and they confirmed that I had them remove the money from the vehicle. The detective told me he would have the officer drop the charges. He then told me he told my boss I would like my job back.

About an hour later I get a call from my boss and his boss. They asked me to come in. Once I arrived they told me they were sorry, and that I did the right thing. They told me that I never lost my job, that I was just suspended. I was told that I could work my regular scheduled shift which was the next day.

Now when I work other employees look at me like I am a thief, some have even asked me why I have my job when the cops took me away. Not only did I lose wages, I am embarrassed to even be here and word has spread across town as well.

Did my bosses and security even have a right to call the police? Should the police have stayed after the money didnt match? I feel as though my boss should have first checked with the owners of the "bait car" before getting security and the police involved.

What recourse do I have? Can I sue?

What should I do? My bosses are being extremely nice to me, which I believe is because they know they did something extremely wrong.
 
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You can file for unemployment, but you have no case against the employer. The employer is legally entitled to fire you based on this incident, even if they are totally wrong in their assumption that you took the money.

You MAY have a case against the person who lied about your taking the money. For that, you need the advice of an attorney.
 
Nobody lied about him taking the money.
They assumed he had because he was the only one that drove the car. They did not investigate his story about having the lady take the money.
Nobody did anything wrong here.

What I am not clear on his how the boss planted the money in the first place.
 
Nobody lied about him taking the money.
They assumed he had because he was the only one that drove the car. They did not investigate his story about having the lady take the money.
Nobody did anything wrong here.

What I am not clear on his how the boss planted the money in the first place.



Ah, gotcha. I have to admit I didn't read the whole long drawn out story. Well, I did, but I must have gotten confused. :(
 
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