It's common for bad managers to steal, then set up a newbie to take the blame, whether they report to the cops or not. As a manager, corporate and the cops would take him at his word in these kinds of scenarios. He himself would get caught eventually if he was just cookin' the books without a patsy. So, he's pocketed $175 bucks, made a company loss report, and "solved" the problem by firing you. He's scum, but you already knew that.