[UPDATE BELOW] Every waiter knows that Europeans are among the worst tippers on earth, but they can usually be counted on to at least pay the bill. But the Maitre d' at Midtown East steakhouse Smith & Wollensky wasn't about to take any chances on Italian tourist Graziano Graziussi when, at the end of his meal Monday night, he realized he forgot his wallet in his hotel. The bill came to $208, and apparently washing dishes is no longer an option these days.

Graziussi, who was dining at the restaurant with a friend, tells Honest Cooking, "I kindly asked the staff how we could manage the situation. I proposed to leave my iPhone with them, run back to the hotel and then come back with my wallet in 15 minutes.” Instead, the Maitre d' called the cops. "I wasn’t worried," Graziuissi says. "I thought that the police would laugh at the situation and let me go get my wallet. But, they were pretty rough. They handcuffed me outside the restaurant and took me straight to jail like a criminal."

Graziussi, who has no criminal record, begged the officers to take him to his hotel so he could retrieve his wallet, but they refused, explaining that they weren't "a taxi service." As for his offer to leave his iPhone as collateral while he ran back to his hotel, a police source asks the Daily News, “How do they know that iPhone was his? It could have come from anywhere." It also seems a tad curious that Graziussi's friend had absolutely no means of paying the bill either.

Graziussi spent the night in the tombs, where, he says, "you are treated like an animal, for forgetting your wallet." He was released after appearing before a judge in the morning, having promised to return to court next week and pay the check. While apologetic, he tells Honest Cooking, "I would have expected an upscale place like Smith & Wollensky to behave a bit more courteous to their customers." An employee at Smith & Wollensky would not comment on the incident, referring us to the restaurant's publicist, which is also declining to comment.

Update 5:43 p.m.: Smith & Wollensky has issued this statement:

We have been in business in New York City for over 35 years and normally, it is our policy to maintain our guests’ privacy on all matters. We do not contact the police in any matter involving our customers without significant cause. NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly commented on the situation in his press conference this afternoon:

“Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said the 43-year-old lawyer from Naples did have a wallet with $118, but refused to hand it over. Graziussi claimed not to speak English, but a patrol supervisor who responded to the scene was fluent in Italian and was able to translate. He conducted the interview and determined that the individual simply did not want to pay.”