Burger King Manager Pleads Guilty to Indecent Assault of Juvenile Employee

Keith Heffintrayer | North Penn Now•

A Lansdale man has pleaded guilty to the indecent assault of a juvenile female employee while working as the assistant manager of the Burger King on South Broad Street in Lansdale Borough.

According to a report by Carl Hessler Jr. at The Reporter, 29-year-old Sayed Al Hassan, of the 200 block of East Mount Vernon Street, pleaded guilty on Thursday to one misdemeanor count of indecent assault as part of a plea agreement with prosecutors that saw an additional felony charge of corruption of minors and misdemeanor counts of indecent assault dropped in exchange.

Al Hassan will serve one year of probation and be placed on sex offender supervision as part of the agreement, Hessler reports, adding Al Hassan must undergo a psychosexual evaluation as well as an evaluation by the state’s Sexual Offender Assessment Board to determine if he should be classified as a sexually violent predator. If classified as a sexually violent predator, Al Hassan would face more restrictions, including notifying the community where he resides, according to the report.

Al Hassan also faces a 25-year requirement to report his address under the Sexual Offender Registration and Notification Act — formerly known as "Megan’s Law.”

"He’s admitting that he touched the private areas of a child under 16 years of age for his own sexual gratification,” said Assistant District Attorney Bradley Deckel, in Hessler’s report. "This defendant violated the trust that other people put in him. He was supposed to make sure this kid was safe and he violated that trust. This was a tough time for (the victim) to go through. It’s a situation this girl never expected herself to be in.”

According to the criminal complaint, the victim’s mother contacted police during the evening of Jan. 2, 2023 to report her daughter had been sexually assaulted while at work earlier that day. The mother said her daughter was working at Burger King under the supervision of Al Hassan when he allegedly inappropriately touched her.

In an interview with police, the victim told police Al Hassan had invited her into his office to show her how much money he was making as an assistant manager. When the victim asked why she wasn’t making more money, Al Hassan said he would secretly increase her pay by $700 per week if she agreed to become his girlfriend, police said.

At that point, Al Hassan allegedly wrapped his arms around the teen, began groping her over her clothes while kissing her head, and repeatedly pleaded and begged her to be his girlfriend. Any time the girl attempted to move or stand up, Al Hassan began to increase his grasp and ordered her to remain seated, police said.

The victim stated she could no longer bear being at work and called a friend to pick her up, however Al Hassan allegedly hung up the phone and continued begging her to stay and be his girlfriend. Al Hassan told the victim she could not take a break and was not allowed outside of the office; however, she eventually made her way into the bathroom where she cried and awaited the arrival of her friend, according to charging documents.

Police said Al Hassan began texting the girl while she was in the bathroom, then ordered her to return to his office when she exited. He again attempted to hold her hand and hug her, but she resisted and left with her friend.

As a result of the incident, the girl quit her job and blocked Al Hassan’s number, however police said he continued to attempt to contact her from different phone numbers and through her friends. The complaint also notes that prior to the Jan. 2, 2023 incident, Al Hassan had a history of hugging the girl against her will and texting her terms of endearment, including "honey,” "baby,” and "beautiful.”

"Al Hassan engaged in conduct initiated by his own sexual desire without concern for age and consent, leading to Al Hassan indecently touching [the victim] without consent and through force,” reads a portion of the criminal complaint. "Additionally, Al Hassan engaged in a course of conduct with the purpose of soliciting, grooming, and procuring a juvenile female as his ‘girlfriend.’”

When reached for comment, a Burger King spokesperson provided the following statement:

"The events described in this case are entirely inconsistent with Burger King standards and values. The franchisee who owns and operates this restaurant is investigating the events and working with local law enforcement.”

The Burger King spokesperson did not provide a direct answer when asked if Al Hassan remains employed at the Lansdale location.

"Mr. Al Hassan is eager to use the time during his probationary sentence to reflect and seek treatment for the root cause of his actions in this case,” said defense attorney Andrew Joseph Levin, following the hearing, according to the report.