![]() ![]() They have all been for sales and withholding tax,” Gaston said. “He has been in over two dozen payment plans and has defaulted on all of them. This is not the first time Hankerson has been in hot water over taxes, agency spokesman William Gaston told CNN. An email inquiry sent to Hankerson received no response. The restaurant’s corporate phone line was disconnected. ![]() As soon as a receivership agreement is reached between the state and Hankerson, the restaurant should reopen for business,” Waites said. ![]() Hankerson’s attorney to have the business up and running again as soon as possible. A receptionist issued a statement of “no comment.” ![]() Revenue officials seized Hankerson’s bank accounts and three luxury vehicles, Waites said.ĬNN called the office of Hankerson’s Atlanta tax attorney, Josie Walton-Harris. Hankerson was in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on Tuesday as authorities negotiated terms of his surrender to Georgia authorities, according to the agency’s special investigation director, Josh Waites. “The department further alleges that Hankerson used these funds for personal use.”ĭepartment of Revenue agents executed search warrants at the three restaurant locations and a corporate office in Riverdale, Georgia, and “unsuccessfully attempted to serve arrest warrants on Shanga Hankerson … at his home,” the agency statement said. “After penalties and interest the total exceeds $1 million,” the department said. Shanga Hankerson, Knight’s son and the owner of the three Atlanta-area restaurants, “is accused of stealing over $650,000” in sales taxes and withholding taxes owed to the state, the agency said in a news release. The restaurants are now called World Famous Chicken and Waffles.Gladys Knight’s Chicken and Waffles, an Atlanta dining institution that features Southern favorites and is named after the famed singer, was raided on Tuesday after Georgia’s Department of Revenue accused the owner – Knight’s son – of theft and tax evasion. Moreover, his mother Gladys Knight also sued him to remove her name and likeness from his businesses. The three restaurants, which Hankerson solely owned and founded in 1997, were shut down by the Georgia Department of Revenue in 2016 when he was also first arrested. This sentencing emphasizes that all employers, big and small, have equal responsibility to collect, report and pay their payroll taxes.” “Paying taxes is a way to give back to the community, but unfortunately Hankerson chose to use those funds for other means. “While ownership of a well-known restaurant in our community has its perks, it also comes with great responsibility,” IRS Criminal Investigation Special Agent James E. Employers who fail to comply with their legal obligations will be held accountable.”Īccording to reports, Hankerson was recently sentenced to serve two years in prison, one year of supervised release, and ordered to pay restitution of $1,039,310.65 after pleading guilty in July this year. “Payroll taxes fund social insurance programs, including Social Security and Medicare, and are a large source of revenue for the federal government. “Hankerson willfully disregarded his tax obligations for many years,” Erskine said in an emailed statement, according to AJC. Hankerson, who is the former owner of Atlanta-based Gladys Knight’s Chicken and Waffles restaurant, reportedly failed to fully remit more than $650,000 state sales and withholding taxes, which after penalties and interest totals more than $1 million, due from at least 2012 to 2016. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |