CORTLAND, N.Y. — The owners of some Cortland–area bars and restaurants have pleaded guilty to criminal tax fraud for underreporting more than $4 million in taxable sales.
George Seibel, 60, of Homer, and Anthony Caruso, 60, of Cortland, as well as the parent companies of their respective businesses — Dark Horse Tavern; A Pizza & More; Hairy Tony’s; and Dasher’s Corner Pub — pleaded guilty, New York State Attorney General Letitia James said in a Monday news release.
As part of their pleas, the defendants repaid the state more than $479,000 that they owed.
A joint investigation by the Office of Attorney General (OAG) and the Department of Taxation and Finance revealed that — between 2010 and 2015 — Seibel and Caruso collectively underreported a total of more than $4 million in taxable sales and failed to remit over $475,000 in sales tax collected from their six different restaurants and bars throughout Cortland and Onondaga counties, per the release.