Charlotte's own Peter Anthony Thomas, once a noted businessman in the community, now faces 18 months behind bars after pleading guilty to serious tax offenses. In a statement released by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of North Carolina, Thomas, 63, is to follow up his prison time with a two-year supervised release and cough up a hefty sum of $2,526,131.99 as restitution directed to the Internal Revenue Service.
A former Charlotte resident turned Miami local, Thomas admitted his wrongdoing on July 2, fessing up to his failure to handle the trust fund taxes due from the employees of PT Media, LLC, for the second quarter of 2021. It was back in the Queen City where Thomas ran Club One CLT, LLC, Sports ONE, Inc., Sports ONE CLT LLC, and PT Media, LLC, establishments that served as a combination of sports-themed bars, restaurants, and lounges.
However, Thomas's fiscal responsibilities stretched past the Carolinas. He also held ownership over various other hospitality venues in Florida and Maryland, including the likes of Bar One Miami Beach LLC and Bar One Baltimore LLC. As the top dog, Thomas was given the critical role of collecting trust fund taxes and ensuring the correct employment taxes were paid over to Uncle Sam for his employees, according to court documents released by the U.S Attorney's Office.
Instead, from 2017 to 2023, the IRS was defrauded of over $2.5 million in employment taxes—over $1.74 million was directly taken from his employees' wages as trust fund taxes. Thomas didn't just stop at unpaid taxes; extravagant expenditures were covered with these funds, including personal cash withdrawals of more than $2.5 million, travel, real estate, and over a quarter million dollars showered at luxury retailers like Neiman Marcus and Prada. The errant businessman also shuffled over $2.9 million amongst his various businesses in a clear misuse of funds.
This case was unpacked and pursued by the IRS-Criminal Investigation unit, culminating in today's decisive action. With the date to report to prison looming, Thomas will soon face the direct consequences of his financial improprieties, a stark demonstration that no status is immune to the tenets of the law. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Caryn Finley and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric Frick, as made evident by today's public records.
