A bartender was sentenced to five years behind bars and fined 5,000 yuan ($784) for stealing 156,240 yuan worth of high-end liquor from his employer, a local court ruled Tuesday.

The defendant, surnamed Wang, had worked at a well-known local restaurant where he managed the bar's inventory and often picked up orders of wine and liquor from the restaurant's warehouse, according to a news release from the Pudong New Area People's Court.

While working at the restaurant, Wang learned the restaurant's accountant didn't check receipts carefully, which allowed him to take bottles home with him, according to the court.

Starting at the end of 2010, Wang stole 124 bottles of Kweichow Moutai, a top-shelf domestic brand of baijiu, over the course of a year, according to the court.

The 106-proof liquor costs about 1,980 yuan a bottle at local stores, and is usually more expensive at restaurants.

Wang sold most of the bottles for between 400 yuan and 700 yuan, earning about 50,000 to 60,000 yuan in total over the year.

Police arrested Wang at his home in February.

During the hearing, Wang's lawyer argued that the court should judge the size of the theft based on how much his client actually benefited from the crime. However, the court responded that the 60,000 yuan didn't accurately represent the financial loss that the restaurant suffered. Therefore, it had to judge the size of the theft based on the retail price of the liquor.

The amount of a theft helps determine a defendant's sentence, as well as the charges against him.

Wang was accused of encroachment of duty and illegally seizing valuable company property.

According to China's Criminal Law, the encroachment charge against Wang carries a sentence of at least five years in prison.