PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A man was sentenced Friday to 10 years in prison in Multnomah County after he was convicted of breaking into two Portland businesses and stealing tens of thousands of dollars, the district attorney’s office said.
Michael Lee Dizer, 65, was convicted of two counts of second-degree robbery, one count of first-degree aggravated larceny and one count of first-degree larceny.
The allegations relate to two incidents that occurred in September.
The first happened in September. On February 5, 2021, the district attorney’s office said Dizer broke into the Ambassador Restaurant & Lounge on Northeast Sandy Avenue and threatened an employee with a replica handgun.
Dizer told the employee to fill the bag with money from the restaurant safe and walked away with about $20,000, the district attorney’s office said.
Two days later, September 1st. On December 7, 2021, the district attorney’s office said Dizer entered the new 715 Hotel on Northeast Broadway and demanded money from an employee for a Rip ticket. When the employee walked to the checkout line, the district attorney’s office said Dizer pulled out a replica pistol and threatened her to give him the money on the checkout line.
The district attorney’s office said he told the employee, “It’s not worth your life.”
Dizer removed the employee from the cash register and began pocketing the money himself, the district attorney’s office said. He then told the employee to take the money from the slot machine and put it in the bag.
He walked away with the stolen $2,000, according to the district attorney’s office.
On September 9, 2021, an employee at the Ambassador Restaurant and Lounge received an anonymous tip that Dizer was the one who robbed the previous days.
Investigators recovered surveillance video and learned that Dietzel had made incriminating comments to witnesses about the robbery, which led to his arrest, the district attorney’s office said.
“Small businesses in our community should not operate under threat. Mr. Dizer violated individual employees simply performing their jobs and stealing substantial revenue. His actions were violent, appalling and unacceptable. I I thank the jury for delivering justice and the judge for the subsequent sentence,” said Multnomah County Deputy District Attorney Julian Samuels.