CORRECTION: This article incorrectly included an image of a business called "Wyomissing Restaurant," but was in actuality referring to a restaurant in Wyomissing.
A Wyomissing restaurant owner is going to be dining on prison food for the next 30 months after a hefty sentence for cheating Uncle Sam out of more than a million dollars in taxes. Steven Guo, 57, owner of a family-run eatery, was handed a 30-month federal prison sentence by U.S. District Court Judge Joseph F. Leeson, Jr., according to a U.S. Attorney's Office announcement. On top of his prison term, Guo's gotta cough up $1,172,368 in restitution and an additional $95,000 fine for his tax-dodging antics.
Last year, Guo admitted to conspiracy to defraud the United States, a federal offense that surfaced when it was discovered he paid his restaurant staff partially off the books. Investigators learned through records seized from his establishment that Guo failed to report over $3.9 million of cash wages on federal employment tax forms from 2013 to 2020. This hoof in the government's side meant a payroll tax loss of roughly $444,899. He also pled guilty to attempted tax evasion for not declaring the cash he pocketed away from the restaurant's earnings on his own tax returns, costing the government an additional $727,469.
U.S. Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero had no room for sympathy, saying, "Guo’s crimes cost the government more than a million dollars in tax revenue." She delivered a stark warning in her statement obtained by the U.S. Attorney's Office: "They’re also a slap in the face to every honest taxpayer who does the right thing each year. As this case shows, we’re fully committed to prosecuting tax cheats who refuse to contribute their fair share. Bottom line: pay what you owe or prepare to pay some serious consequences."
The IRS endorsement of the sentencing was just as strong, with IRS Criminal Investigation Special Agent in Charge Yury Kruty emphasizing their year-round commitment "to investigate tax and financial crimes." According to the U.S. Attorney's Office announcement, Kruty said, "Our largest enforcement program is directed at the portion of American taxpayers who willfully and intentionally violate their known legal duty of filing and paying their taxes." He warned that anyone skirting their fiscal responsibilities should think twice, noting that the IRS agents are relentless in hunting down violators.
