No More Cheese; Tony Luke's Founder and Son Plead Guilty in Tax Fraud Case (Unpublished)
Tony Luke's has been a premiere Philly cheesesteak destination since 1992.
That's 30 years of service.
As of yesterday, Eighty-three-year-old Anthony Lucidonio Sr. and 55-year-old Nicholas Lucidonio have pleaded guilty for conspiring to defraud the U.S. government. The federal tax fraud case alleged that they were hiding of nearly $8 million in sales over the course of a decade, from 2006 to 2016. The two co-owners admitted that they paid part of their workers’ salaries under the table to evade payroll taxes. They reportedly told the federal judge they kept two sets of books to hide cash from sales at their South Philly shop. The tax fraud practice allegedly ended in 2017.
The Lucidonio's attorneys released a statement following pleading guilty, the father and son "accept full responsibility for paying some Tony Luke’s employees in cash." The statement also said that the defendants “have fully cooperated with the government’s investigation since it began and look forward to putting this matter behind them, [Tony Luke's] will continue to serve its faithful clientele and provide gainful employment for its loyal employees and their families.”
The federal government is looking to prove Lucidonio Sr. and Lucidonio cost the government between $550,000 and $1.5 million at their sentencing hearing. One count of conspiracy to defraud the United States is punishable by up to five years in prison. They’ll be sentenced later this year.
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