In strange restaurant news...

A Bristol Township man compounded his legal problems when, behind bars awaiting trial for an armed robbery at an Upper Merion restaurant he once managed, he had drugs smuggled into the county prison.

Steven Gilardi, 35, of the first block of Inland Road, now will have to double his time in jail.

Montgomery County Judge William J. Furber this week sentenced Gilardi, who pleaded guilty to both cases, to two 14- to 30-month sentences he will have to serve consecutively in state prison.

The judge also ordered Gilardi, who admitted an addiction to prescription painkillers, to pay $3,600 in restitution to the restaurant once he is released on parole.

The armed robbery occurred at the Hooters restaurant Dec. 9 about 8:30 a.m.

A knife-wielding man, wearing a black knit cap, a hooded sweatshirt and black sunglasses, entered the restaurant and demanded that the assistant manager on duty at the time get him money from the safe. The robber, holding another employee by the arm while flashing the knife, then walked into the office area with the two employees.

After getting a deposit bag containing an estimated $3,600 in cash, the robber forced the two employees into the freezer before fleeing.

When police arrived, one of the employees said he recognized the robber. The employee identified him as the store's former manager, Steven Gilardi, with whom he had worked for more than a year, according to the criminal complaint.

Ironically, a photo of Gilardi was hanging on the restaurant's wall at the time of the incident.

The restaurant's company president called Gilardi about 9:14 a.m., asking him about his whereabouts earlier that morning. Gilardi responded that he had been home the entire morning, instant messaging his mother on his home computer, the complaint said. The company president then asked Gilardi to immediately e-mail him from his home computer to verify that he was at home, according to the complaint.

When Bristol Township police arrived outside Gilardi's home about 9:20 a.m., they did not see his car. A state trooper observed Gilardi return to his home at 9:30 a.m., the complaint said.

The company president received a call from Gilardi at 9:50 a.m., asking him for his e-mail address again so that he could e-mail him.

Authorities, armed with a search warrant, searched Gilardi's car and found a knit cap, hooded sweatshirt and black sunglasses as well as $2,195 in cash, according to the complaint.

The incident at the county prison occurred on Feb. 17 while Gilardi was awaiting trial on the robbery case.

A corrections officer noticed that a man, who was visiting Gilardi at the prison, was wearing Gucci shoes. At the end of the visit, it was Gilardi who was wearing the Gucci shoes.

Stopping Gilardi before he returned to his cell, correctional officers checked his shoes. They found 23 Oxycontin pills wrapped in tape between the padding and sole of one of the shoes, according to the criminal complaint.

Margaret Gibbons can be reached at 610-279-6153 or mgibbons@phillyBurbs.com.