Connecticut Steakhouse Chef Faces Sexual Assault Charges, Owner Arrested for Bribing Victims

Six female employees at Mix Prime Steakhouse in Woodbury, Connecticut, told state police that head chef Walid Gad sexually assaulted them inside the restaurant across a span of roughly six months. Gad, 55, of Waterbury, was arrested March 25 and charged with five counts of first-degree sexual assault and seven counts of fourth-degree sexual assault, according to Connecticut State Police.

The alleged incidents occurred between January and June 2025. Three of the six victims are undocumented immigrants, a fact that, according to investigators, was later weaponized to discourage them from speaking out. When employees reported the assaults to owner Ljatif "Tony" Ramadani in early June 2025, he told one victim the conduct was normal and that such incidents routinely go unreported, according to the arrest warrant affidavit. He also warned that attention on the case could jeopardize victims' immigration status, adding that he had money and multiple lawyers who would "overpower" them if they came forward.

Both women resigned when Gad's employment was not terminated. By August 2025, two of them had reported the assaults to Connecticut State Police. Investigators say that after the women later sought legal assistance, Ramadani allegedly offered $20,000 in cash to two of them for their silence.

Ramadani, 68, of Ridgefield, turned himself in on March 26 on an active arrest warrant and was charged with two counts of bribery of a witness. He owns Mix Prime Steakhouse, Fish & Sushi Bar in Woodbury as well as Red Rooster Pub in Wilton, a business with prior locations in Newtown and Ridgefield. Three victims also filed a civil lawsuit in state court in October 2025, alleging Gad groped one plaintiff on the job and inflicted emotional distress.

The case exposes a pattern worker advocates have documented in food service: undocumented status, shift-based economic dependence, and fragmented reporting chains leave hourly kitchen workers acutely exposed to supervisors who recognize those vulnerabilities. Restaurant employees who experience harassment or assault can report to law enforcement regardless of immigration status. Connecticut's Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities handles workplace harassment complaints, and state law prohibits employer retaliation against workers who come forward.

If a manager or owner offers money for silence, worker advocates strongly recommend declining the offer, documenting it in writing, and contacting both law enforcement and a community legal clinic immediately. Accepting a payment can complicate a subsequent criminal case; investigators here treated the bribery offer itself as a standalone criminal act, separate from the underlying assault charges.

All charges against Gad and Ramadani are allegations. Both men are presumed innocent unless convicted in court.