Owner of Lake Sammamish restaurant pleads guilty to wire fraud and false tax return related to embezzlement from former elderly customer

Seattle – The former owner of a Lake Sammamish restaurant pleaded guilty this week in U.S. District Court in Seattle to wire fraud and filing a false tax return in connection with his theft from a former customer, announced U.S. Attorney Charles Neil Floyd. Richard Dale Radcliffe, 62, admitted on November 12, 2025, that he illegally took $515,000 from the financial accounts of an elderly woman he befriended for the purpose of personally benefiting from her wealth. U.S. District Judge Lauren King scheduled sentencing for February 5, 2025, at 10:00 a.m.

According to the facts admitted in the plea agreement, Radcliffe cultivated a friendship with a widow who lived near his restaurant.  The widow was elderly and suffering cognitive decline. Radcliffe arranged for a friend of his to serve as the power of attorney for the victim, with Radcliffe still having access and control over the victim’s bank accounts. The victim had no surviving family members, and trusted Radcliffe to assist her with her finances and take care of her bills. Radcliffe abused his access to her accounts and used her money for his own real estate purchases, gambling, travel, and restaurant operation expenses. He convinced his friend, as power of attorney, to liquidate over $800,000 from the victim’s retirement account to fund the purchase a home for himself in North Carolina by falsely claiming that he was entitled that amount as reimbursement for money that he spent on the victim’s care and for remodeling her home.

The victim ultimately moved into an assisted living facility and passed away in November 2020. Radcliffe moved into her waterfront home and later inherited her estate.

When Radcliffe filed his taxes in February 2021, he failed to report the $437,000 he embezzled from the victim’s accounts. That additional income resulted in a tax liability of $124,000 he did not report to the IRS.  As part of his plea agreement Radcliffe will pay the $124,000 to the IRS.

Prosecutors have agreed to recommend no more than 46 months or a term within the sentencing guidelines when Radcliffe is sentenced in February 2026.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI). The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Jessica Manca and Grace Zoller.