White Plains Man Accused of Stealing $300K in Sales Taxes

WHITE PLAINS, NY — A White Plains man has been accused of stealing more than $300,000 in state sales taxes.

Acting Westchester County District Attorney James A. McCarty said Tuesday that Peter Spagnuolo was charged Monday with second-degree grand larceny and two counts of third-degree criminal tax fraud, all felonies.

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Investigators from the district attorney’s office and the state Tax Department said that between March 1, 2009, and January 31, 2015, Spagnuolo failed to file sales tax returns for two businesses and failed to send sales tax funds collected by the two businesses to the state Tax Department.

Spagnuolo, 49, owned two restaurant franchises at the Westchester Mall food court: Desert Moon Cafe and Nathan’s.

McCarty said the total amount of sales tax funds collected and not sent to the state during the period was about $350,000.

For tax years 2014 and 2015, Spagnuolo failed to pay $67,927 in sales tax liability on the illegally obtained money, the district attorney said.

Spagnuolo’s bail was set at $5,000. His next court appearance was set for Aug. 16.

If convicted, Spagnuolo faces a maximum sentence of five to 15 years in state prison.