Ex-Owner Of Medford Pizza Shop Sentenced To Prison

MEDFORD, MA — The former owner of a Medford pizza shop was sentenced to prison in connection to filing tax returns which didn't reflect cash payroll payments he made to employees. The Department of Justice said Nikita Yanakopulos, 40, of Medford, was sentenced to one year and one day in prison, one year of supervised release and a fine of $5,500. Yanakopulos had owned Pinky's Famous Pizza.

In February 2018, Yanakopulos pleaded guilty to two counts of aiding and assisting in filing false Forms 941, Employer’s Quarterly Federal Tax Return, which are used to report income taxes, Social Security taxes, and Medicare taxes withheld from employees’ paychecks, the DOJ said.

Yanakopulos ran Pinky's for about 17 years starting in 2000. He paid some employees by check and cash and others entirely by cash - cash payments which totaled about $675,000. He didn't report those payments to his payroll service or pay the withholding amounts to the IRS, avoiding about $172,000 in FICA, Medicare, and withholding taxes.

Google Earth image of Pinky's