Billy Richmond Jr., the owner of the Memphis-based Wing Guru hot wings franchise, has been indicted on serious charges including theft of property greater than $250,000, and two counts of sales tax fraud, as reported by Action News 5. Court documents reveal that between 2018 and 2022, Richmond is accused of attempting to evade state sales taxes.
This is not Richmond's first encounter with legal troubles, previously his restaurant was embroiled in a dispute with Memphis Grizzlies player Ja Morant over a marketing agreement, leading to Richmond being ordered by an arbitrator to pay Morant more than $365,000, a detail highlighted by WREG. Customers have noted the rising prices at Wing Guru, with Sierra Lewis mentioning, “We knew Wing Guru was getting real expensive.” After the allegations, the reason behind the price hike seems to have become clearer to patrons.
The Wing Guru chain, which has multiple locations including ones in Atlanta and Houston, was opened by Richmond on Mount Moriah in 2016 after his return to Memphis. He is a former basketball player for the University of Memphis and Vanderbilt University, as per the company's website. Despite Richmond's arrest, Wing Guru locations have continued to operate, with a customer telling FOX13, “Richmond’s locked up, but that don’t mean, You know, the Guru’s still here..”
The indictment comes after Richmond had been involved in several legal controversies, including disputes with franchisees and a previous federal lawsuit accusing a franchisee of stealing his recipes to open a competing store. After court records obtained by WREG showed Richmond had yet to be served despite several attempts from the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office, frustration among the local community appears to be rising. “I think it’s not right,” stated Carmel Lewis in a statement obtained by WREG, “I think we is already in a recession. We already struggling and over-priced food is crazy.”
Amidst the ongoing debacle, one of the franchisees, the Wing Guru-Whitehaven store which is owned by Memphis educators Kim and Tim Ware, emphasized their independence from the corporate issues. In a response to the recent indictment, they shared with FOX13, "The Wing Guru-Whitehaven is 100% independently owned and operated... We have no knowledge of the activities being reported about the corporate offices or stores... We will continue to offer award-winning food, great customer service and amazing drinks at our full bar." Richmond is currently held on $50,000 bail.
