OWNER OF POPULAR BRONX EATERY ‘MAMA MARIA’ GUILTY OF
EVADING ONE HUNDRED FIFTY THOUSAND DOLLARS IN CORPORATE, SALES
AND PERSONAL INCOME TAXES
Bronx District Attorney Robert T. Johnson announced today that the owner of ‘Mama Maria’ restaurant, at 900 Morris Park Avenue, has been convicted of evading over $150,000 in corporate, sales and personal income taxes owed to New York State and New York City.
Morris Park Pavillion, Incorporated and Regina Palazzo entered guilty pleas before Acting State Supreme Court Justice Steven Barrett. Palazzo waived indictment and pled guilty to a single misdemeanor count of filing a false personal income tax return for the calendar year ending on December 31, 2005. Morris Park Pavillion, Inc. pled guilty to two felony counts of filing false business reports and tax documents understating earnings in calendar years 2005 and 2006.
Justice Barrett sentenced Palazzo, who surrendered to the Bronx District Attorney Office with her attorney, to a Conditional Discharge and imposed a fine of $8,000. In addition to the fine, Palazzo, of 3252 Waterbury Avenue, the Bronx, must pay New York City and New York State $3,278 in personal income taxes. Both the fine and back taxes must be paid on or before November 30, 2008. A total of $155,925 in New York State and City sales taxes is to be paid in eleven monthly installments of $14,175 beginning December 31, 2008.
These convictions are the result of an 18-month long joint investigation by the Bronx District Attorney’s Arson/Auto/Economic Crime Bureau, the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance, and the New York City Department of Finance.
Mr. Johnson thanked the New York City Finance Commissioner Martha Stark and her staff, New York State Taxation and Finance Commissioner Robert Megna, as well as members of his own staff for their hard work including Assistant District Attorneys Thomas Kapp and William Zelenka, Chief, and Deputy Chief respectively of the Arson/Auto/ Economic Crime Bureau, and Senior Investigative Assistant District Attorney Richard Baker.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Ann Cherry.
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