A Florida couple accused of walking away from two expensive restaurant tabs in the same day was tracked down by Monroe County sheriff’s deputies only minutes after leaving the second business, according to body-camera footage presented by the YouTube channel Body Cam Goat.
The channel’s narrator identified the pair as 24-year-old Dana Efimenko and 32-year-old Roman Romanov, who were arrested following the May 26, 2025, investigation. Deputies said the couple left behind a bill approaching $400 at one restaurant and another totaling roughly $250 at a separate location.
What began as a report about one unpaid dinner quickly grew into a broader investigation involving restaurant receipts, surveillance footage, witness statements, and a blue Volkswagen that employees said had carried the couple away.
Restaurant Staff Describe a Carefully Timed Exit
At the first restaurant, a staff member told deputies that the couple had been moving in and out of the building throughout the evening to smoke, making their final departure appear normal at first.
They had repeatedly left the table separately and then returned, the employee explained. After ordering dessert, Efimenko reportedly walked out, while Romanov returned from the restroom, sat down for around 30 seconds, and then left as well.
Neither came back.
Because the couple had followed the same pattern for much of the evening, workers did not immediately realize that the final exit was different. By the time staff checked the table and understood that the bill had not been paid, the pair and their vehicle were gone.
The tab included two bottles of wine, escargot, additional appetizers, full meals, and dessert, according to the restaurant records shown to deputies. A representative of the business told law enforcement that the restaurant wanted to press charges.
The detail about their repeated smoking breaks is especially interesting because it shows how an ordinary pattern can make a sudden departure less noticeable. Whether planned or not, the movements gave the couple a natural-looking way to leave the table without immediately raising alarm.
Staff members also warned at least one nearby business to watch for the couple while deputies began searching the area.
Deputies Locate the Blue Volkswagen
The investigation moved quickly after restaurant workers gave deputies a description of the suspects and their vehicle.
Body Cam Goat’s narrator said deputies soon located the blue Volkswagen and initiated a traffic stop after noticing a partially malfunctioning rear light. The occupants said they were traveling toward Fort Lauderdale and confirmed that the vehicle was a rental.
After obtaining identification, deputies separated Romanov and Efimenko for questioning.
Romanov was removed from the car first and advised of his rights before investigators began asking about the couple’s activities that day. He initially said they had spent time at the beach and had eaten breakfast at a bakery.
When deputies asked about Marker 88, Romanov said the name sounded familiar and recalled eating fish or tacos there.
He denied leaving without paying and claimed he had placed cash on the table. Romanov estimated the bill was somewhere around $220 to $240 and said he had paid approximately $230.
The questions then shifted to a second restaurant, which he described as a dark, expensive fish restaurant located several minutes away. Deputies identified it as Chef Michael’s.
Romanov again claimed that he had paid in cash.
Officers Confront Him With Two Reports
The deputies eventually told Romanov that both restaurants had reported unpaid bills and that investigators had receipts and video evidence placing him and Efimenko at each location.
One officer said the evidence included footage of Romanov wearing the same shirt he had on during the traffic stop.
Romanov continued to insist that he had left money, first saying he paid both bills in full and later suggesting the amount at one restaurant may have been short. He said the couple had been arguing, left in a rush, and placed cash underneath a plate.
The deputy repeatedly offered him an opportunity to explain whether there had been a misunderstanding.
Officers told Romanov that honesty could allow them to speak with the restaurants and possibly resolve the matter, but they warned that his account did not match the evidence. Two businesses reporting nearly identical conduct on the same day made his explanation difficult to accept.
Romanov said he felt uncomfortable and confused as several fully equipped deputies stood around him, but officers reminded him that they were investigating reports that the couple had left both restaurants without paying.
The exchange remained calm, though increasingly direct. Deputies did not appear interested in arguing over minor differences in memory; they were trying to determine why two businesses had independently reported the same couple.
That is what made the case stronger than a simple dispute over a misplaced cash payment. One restaurant might have overlooked money under a plate, but two separate businesses reporting the same behavior within hours made coincidence far less convincing.
Efimenko Gives a Different Account
Deputies then returned Romanov to the vehicle and brought Efimenko out for a separate interview.
After being read her rights, she said she was originally from Russia, had lived in New York for approximately 11 years, and had come to Florida to be with her boyfriend.
Her account of the day was uncertain from the start. She initially said they had not gone anywhere for lunch and struggled to name the restaurant where they had eaten dinner, describing it only as a place with a large fish image.
When officers mentioned Marker 88 and Chef Michael’s, however, she appeared to recognize both names.
Asked directly whether the bills had been paid, Efimenko said she did not know. She told deputies that her mother had called and that she had simply left, without watching Romanov settle the checks.
Her answers also weakened his claim that he had paid cash at both restaurants.
Efimenko said Romanov normally used a credit card and rarely carried a large amount of cash. Although she later added that he sometimes used both cash and cards, her first response suggested that cash was not his usual payment method.
She eventually said they could pay what was owed and agreed to write an apology to the restaurants.
That moment marked a clear change in the investigation. Romanov was still arguing that he had already paid, while Efimenko was moving toward resolving an unpaid balance that she had first claimed not to understand.
A Final Identification Ends the Debate
Deputies organized an identification procedure so a restaurant representative could confirm that the stopped couple were the people who had left the business.
Before the identification, the witness was told not to guess and was reminded that excluding innocent people was just as important as identifying a suspect.
The restaurant representative then identified the couple with complete certainty, according to the body-camera footage.
Investigators also asked whether any cash, card, or other payment had been left behind. The witness said there had been nothing on the table, beneath a plate, or elsewhere in the dining area.
A restaurant manager had checked after the couple disappeared because the server feared he might be forced to cover the unpaid bill, the witness explained.
Once deputies received that confirmation, they informed Romanov and Efimenko that they were going to jail.
Romanov offered to pay at that point, but an officer told him that option was no longer available and that any defense or explanation would need to be presented to a judge or attorney.
The delayed offer is notable because the deputies had given the couple several chances to explain the situation before making the arrests. By the time payment was offered, officers had already gathered statements, receipts, video evidence, two separate complaints, and a positive identification.
Both Were Charged After the Investigation
The Body Cam Goat narrator said Efimenko and Romanov were each charged with one count of swindle to defraud an operator of food or lodging.
The footage shows deputies searching the suspects, placing them in separate patrol vehicles, and securing their belongings before transporting them from the scene.
Neither restaurant incident, viewed alone, involved violence or a dramatic confrontation. Yet the combined tabs represented hundreds of dollars in food, alcohol, and service, while employees were left to deal with the financial consequences after the customers disappeared.
The case also demonstrates how quickly a dine-and-dash allegation can become difficult to explain once businesses have cameras, detailed receipts, vehicle descriptions, and witnesses who can identify the diners.
Romanov’s claim that cash had been left under a plate might have created uncertainty without further evidence. Instead, investigators found two restaurants reporting the same basic conduct, surveillance footage connecting the pair to both places, and staff members saying no money had been left behind.
What may have seemed like a clean escape ended during an ordinary traffic stop only a short distance away, with deputies already knowing where the couple had eaten, what they had ordered, and how they had left.
Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, John developed a love for the great outdoors early on. With years of experience as a wilderness guide, he’s navigated rugged terrains and unpredictable weather patterns. John is also an avid hunter and fisherman who believes in sustainable living. His focus on practical survival skills, from building shelters to purifying water, reflects his passion for preparedness. When he’s not out in the wild, you can find him sharing his knowledge through writing, hoping to inspire others to embrace self-reliance.
