Golden Steer owners in Kent face fines, community service

Published 3:05 pm Friday, March 6, 2026

Two Golden Steer restaurant owners accused of buying and selling stolen alcohol reached an agreement with city of Kent prosecutors for no jail time but they cannot operate a business in town over the next two years, must pay fines and perform community service.

Mohammed F. Alsadi, 34, and Widad G. Defar, 35, who are married and live in Kent, agreed March 2 in Kent Municipal Court to a stipulated order of continuance (SOC), according to court documents.

“An SOC was offered in exchange for the defendant’s agreement to cease business operations in Kent,” said City Attorney Tammy White in a March 5 email. “Neither defendant had any prior criminal history, and the city’s primary goal was ensuring the defendants did not reopen a business in Kent.”

Alsadi and Defar took the agreement rather than going to trial. They each pleaded not guilty to all charges Oct. 28, 2025, after their Oct. 15, 2025, arrest by Kent Police during an undercover operation. They faced a total of 15 misdemeanor charges. Alsadi and Defar were each booked and released on Oct. 15, 2025, from the city of Kent Correctional Facility. They each posted bail, which was set at $4,000.

“Through negotiations with defense counsel, the parties were able to come to an agreement where each defendant would pay a substantial fine ($1,000 for Alsadi and $500 for Defar), complete a considerable amount of community service hours (40 hours for Alsadi, 30 hours for Defar), and each had to agree to not commit any new criminal law violations and to not own, operate, or manage a business in Kent,” White said.

Both defendants faced the same criminal charges, but they had different counts (i.e., number of incidents), White said about the reasons for the higher fine and longer community service for Alsadi. Alsadi was charged with nine separate counts and Defar was charged with six separate counts.

The charges included criminal solicitation of possession of stolen property; third-degree criminal solicitation of possession of stolen property; buying liquor illegally; and a business operation without a general business license.

Most of the charges have maximum penalties of 90 days in jail and $1,000 fines, according to White.

During the March 2 hearing, White said each defendant agreed to a “trial by submittal,” which means that they both waived their right to go to trial, to present testimony, or to question witnesses, and if they violate any provision of the SOC, they agreed the court could determine their guilt or innocence simply by reviewing the police report alone.

“Any violation of the SOC (over the next two years) will result in six criminal convictions for Defar and nine criminal convictions for Alsadi, assuming the court finds them guilty of each charge based on the information in the police report,” White said. “The court would then have considerable discretion in determining the amount of jail to impose for any conviction. Each charge carries a risk of 90 days in jail and a $1,000 fine, and the sentencing judge could choose to run the convictions concurrent with one another or consecutive to one another.”

The Golden Steer, 23826 104th Ave. SE on the East Hill, remains closed. The restaurant first opened in 1964 and has had several owners. Alsadi and Defar bought the restaurant in December 2023 under the name of Delightful Dining LLC, according to state Department of Revenue documents.

The city filed misdemeanor charges against the two owners for allegedly buying and selling stolen alcohol and catfish during an undercover police operation that included three controlled purchases over a four-week period. The case began after an investigator with the Fred Meyer (Kroger) Organized Retail Crime unit contacted Kent Police that the restaurant was reportedly known to be purchasing stolen alcohol bottles from the store, according to court documents.

An officer interviewed Alsadi after reading him is Miranda Rights following an Oct. 15, 2025, search warrant at the restaurant. Alsadi reportedly told the officer he would buy alcohol for his personal consumption, not for the restaurant. He said paying $20 for a bottle of Hennessy worth as much as $60 to $70 was reasonable because stores would put bottles on sale. An officer told Alsadi the bottles he bought the previous night were from an undercover police officer.

An officer interviewed Defar at the restaurant. She said her husband typically buys alcohol from a Seattle liquor store. She said they would never buy from a normal person or another source. She said she manages the restaurant and denied buying alcohol for the business. When told she had bought alcohol from police, Defar said she never asks questions and just pays for things. When told they had paid $800 for alcohol and other products worth over $3,000, she claimed she thought it was a company delivery.

The Kent Reporter reached out March 6 to defense attorney Bradley Barshis for comment about the case but has not yet received a response.