Estimated read time: Less than a minute
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
CHICAGO (AP) — A former OpenTable employee has been charged with wire fraud for allegedly making hundreds of bogus reservations at Chicago restaurants to undermine a rival booking service.
The Chicago Sun-Times reports that prosecutors allege in charging documents that 30-year-old Steven Addison booked more than 300 reservations at at least 45 Chicago restaurants using Reserve, aiming to hurt the company's reputation.
They say Addison, of Chicago, allegedly booked some 1,200 seats in all, often during peak hours, making the no-shows especially costly.
Court filings don't name Addison's lawyer. His arraignment is Tuesday.
Christa Quarles, the CEO of San Francisco-based OpenTable, said in March that one "rogue employee" was involved in the "unsanctioned" actions and had been fired. The company apologized and said it would reimburse restaurants for lost revenue.
___
Information from: Chicago Sun-Times, http://chicago.suntimes.com/
Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
