Owner of Cherry Hill mall restaurant failed to pay $271K in taxes, New Jersey attorney general says
A Cherry Hill, New Jersey, restaurant owner is accused of failing to pay enough in sales tax.
Andrew Cosenza, 57, was indicted on Oct. 29 on charges including theft, filing fraudulent tax returns and failing to pay enough in taxes on sales at The Bistro at Cherry Hill, a restaurant inside the Cherry Hill Mall.
Prosecutors accused Cosenza of collecting sales tax from his customers and not turning that money over to the state as required. They say he failed to pay more than $271,000 in sales taxes.
The indictment alleges Cosenza did not pay the proper amount in sales taxes in 2021 and 2022. An investigation into the restaurant revealed a discrepancy between the amount of income reported in Cosenza's tax returns and the amount he was paying in sales tax to the Department of Taxation.
CBS News Philadelphia has reached out to the restaurant for comment and is waiting to hear back. The phone number listed on Facebook for the restaurant is disconnected.
"Everyone is required to pay their (fair) share of taxes," New Jersey Attorney General Platkin said in a statement announcing the charges. "We allege that the defendant in this case was collecting sales tax from his customers, but not paying over that money to the Division of Taxation. This form of tax fraud will not be tolerated."