Staff report
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Madison Brooke Cowart, 28, was arrested early this morning after investigators accused the former Crafty Bastards employee of carrying out a pattern of unauthorized discounts, inflated gratuities and cash theft.
According to a Gainesville Police Department officer’s report, Cowart—identified as “Matt” in the arrest report—began working at Crafty Bastards, located at 4860 NW 39th Avenue, in January 2025. Restaurant management said Cowart failed to report some cash payments and tips during the first month on the job. The number of days with unreported cash allegedly grew over time, reaching about 16 days per month between June and November 2025. Management believed Cowart kept the money rather than turning it over to the business.
After reviewing every ticket assigned to Cowart, management said it found a recurring pattern. Cowart allegedly added a tip to customers’ checks in addition to any gratuity the customers had entered, then discounted the food to offset the extra charge. As a result, the restaurant absorbed the loss while customers often did not realize what had occurred.
Cowart also allegedly applied the restaurant’s group gratuity—which is intended for parties of seven or more—to smaller tables, including groups of only one or two customers.
Although employees are permitted to issue discounts, management reported that Cowart’s discounts in one month were nearly twice those given by another employee who worked a comparable number of hours. That comparison did not include additional discounts allegedly issued while Cowart was working behind the bar.
Management also said Cowart’s combined group gratuities and tips were substantially higher than those of other employees. On one day in January 2026, Cowart was reportedly owed $434 in tips, an amount management described as “not normal from any other employee’s tip payment.”
While working at the bar, Cowart allegedly reduced entire checks to zero when customers paid in cash, then kept both the payment and the tip. The officer said management supplied several tickets showing purchases such as beer discounted in full, leaving a total due of $0.00.
Management described Cowart as a strong employee who regularly volunteered for extra shifts and treated returning customers well.
The officer conducted two post-Miranda interviews with Cowart. During the first, Cowart reportedly said discounts were used during trivia nights and special events, as well as for family and friends of the owners. Cowart also said the group gratuity was sometimes added automatically and went unnoticed until a customer brought it to someone’s attention. Cowart reportedly acknowledged manually adding the group gratuity when a table had three or four people but additional guests were expected to join. Cowart disputed the spreadsheet management used to calculate the alleged losses, saying it was inaccurate. The officer wrote that Cowart’s answers “sounded well-rehearsed and calculated.”
Cowart reportedly declined to answer questions during the second interview.
Management estimated the total alleged fraud at $31,124.16. Customers could have refused to add a separate tip on top of the group gratuity, but management said that accounted for only $9,822.06 of the alleged loss. The remaining $21,302.10 was described as a direct loss to the restaurant from fraudulent discounts on food and drinks.
Cowart faces charges of grand theft over $20,000 and engaging in a scheme to defraud. Judge Meshon Rawls set bail at $10,000.
Articles about arrests are based on reports from law enforcement agencies. The charges listed are taken from the arrest report and/or court records and are only accusations. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
