Former Westmoreland County IHOP general manager charged with taking $12K in fake paychecks

The former general manager of an IHOP in Westmoreland County is accused of falsifying payroll records and pocketing more than $12,000. 

On Monday, 45-year-old Aldo Maya Garcia was taken into custody by the Pennsylvania State Police for allegedly embezzling thousands of dollars from the IHOP off Route 30 in Hempfield Township, where he was once the manager.

According to state police, they started investigating Maya Garcia after being alerted by the restaurant's regional manager that between April and August of 2024, their books were not adding up. Police said financial records turned over to troopers showed that there were more than 20 checks that were suspected of being falsified. 

Investigators said employees clock in and out through a point-of-sale system in the restaurant, but the fake time entries were created from a remote device using a code. The company told investigators that, as the general manager, Maya Garcia would have access. 

Troopers said Maya Garcia faked an identity to create an employee who didn't exist. He entered 18 shifts into payroll for that imaginary employee and endorsed them for mobile deposit, police said. He also allegedly entered in several shifts for a worker no longer employed there. 

During the investigation, troopers said they learned that Maya Garcia was charged in 2023 with similar thefts when he was the general manager of an IHOP in Montgomery County, Ohio. 

A search warrant executed on financial records showed that the fake checks were deposited into two separate accounts belonging to Maya Garcia, police said. 

Maya Garcia was charged with theft, identity theft and tampering of records.

KDKA-TV reached out to IHOP's corporate office for a comment but did not hear back by airtime.