Kent Municipal Court case continues for Golden Steer owners

A pretrial hearing has been continued to March 2 in Kent Municipal Court for the two Golden Steer restaurant owners charged for allegedly buying and selling stolen alcohol.

Mohammed F. Alsadi, 33, and Widad G. Defar, 35, who are married and live in Kent, were represented during a Jan. 26 hearing by Kent defense attorney Erik Kaeding, stepping in on behalf of Kent defense attorney Bradley Barshis. Kaeding asked a judge to continue the case as negotiations and investigations are ongoing, according to court documents.

A judge granted the request and set the next pretrial hearing for 10 a.m. Monday, March 2 in Room 1 at Kent Municipal Court, 1220 Central Ave. S.

Alsadi and Defar each pleaded not guilty to all charges Oct. 28, 2025 after their Oct. 15, 2025 arrest by Kent Police during an undercover operation. They face 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.

Alsadi faces one count of second-degree criminal solicitation of possession of stolen property; three counts of third-degree criminal solicitation of possession of stolen property; four counts of buying liquor illegally; and one count of business operation without a general business license.

Defar faces three counts of third-degree criminal solicitation of possession of stolen property and three counts of buying liquor illegally.

Most of the charges have maximum penalties of 90 days in jail and $1,000 fines, according to City Attorney Tammy White. Alsadi’s charge of second-degree criminal solicitation has a maximum penalty of 364 days in jail and a $5,000 fine.

The Golden Steer, 23826 104th Ave. SE on the East Hill, remains closed. The owners cannot operate any business in Kent without a valid license, according to the pretrial release agreements. 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.

Barshis, who is representing Alsadi and Defar, is the same defense attorney who represented Chase Jones, a Kent man sentenced to a little over 17 years in prison last year for the high-speed crash that killed a woman and three children in March 2024 at the intersection of Southeast 192nd Street and 140th Avenue Southeast in Fairwood. Jones pleaded guilty to four counts of vehicular homicide and two counts of vehicular assault for injuring two other children.