WILLIAMSBURG, Va. — The owner of the Sportsmans Grille in Williamsburg has pleaded guilty to tax fraud spanning at least four years, the Department of Justice announced Friday.
Stephen Genakos, the owner of Sportsmans Grille, which operates under the business name of Sarantos, Inc., pleaded guilty to aiding and assisting in the preparation of a materially false tax return.
From 2016 to 2020, the 62-year-old skimmed money from the restaurant, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.
When the restaurant was listed for sale for $795,000 in 2020, agents from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) reached out to Genakos, posing as buyers.
The undercover agents said they were able to gain access to the Sportsmans Grille's "true books and records." Through this, the IRS discovered the restaurateur filed false tax returns for himself and his business.
Genakos faces a maximum sentence of three years in prison. He is slated to be sentenced on March 21.