You are reading

Owner of Well-Known Woodside Restaurant Convicted of $1 million Tax Evasion

The owner of Mamajuana Cafe Queens, pictured, has been busted for defrauding the state out of at least $1 million in sales tax. Photo Google Maps)

June 9, 2022 By Michael Dorgan

The owner of a well-known restaurant and nightclub in Woodside has been convicted of defrauding the state out of at least $1 million in sales tax.

Oscar Monegro, who owns Mamajuana Café Queens, located at 33-15 56th St., pleaded guilty to grand larceny and criminal tax fraud for filing bogus financial reports over an eight-year period, the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance announced Monday.

The case was prosecuted by the Queens District Attorney’s Office.

According to the charges, Monegro underreported his sales revenue between December 2012 and February 2020 and failed to pay $1 million in sales tax that he had collected.

Monegro’s crimes were discovered by tax investigators while they were analyzing his returns. He operates the restaurant, which has a distinctly Latin theme, under the corporate name Culturas Fiesta Inc.

Monegro has been ordered to pay back $1 million in restitution, prosecutors said. They did not say whether fines or penalties were levied against him.

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said that Monegro stole the money to line his own pockets. However, she said the repayment will now help fund community services.

“Tax evasion hurts our economy and diverts funding away from vital public programs… this will not stand in Queens County,” Katz said.

Amanda Hiller, the acting New York State commissioner of taxation and finance, echoed Katz’s sentiments.

“Business owners who steal sales tax paid by their customers deprive their communities of revenue for vital public programs and services — and put law-abiding businesses at a competitive disadvantage,” Hiller said.

“We’ll continue to work with all our partners in law enforcement to uncover tax evasion and level the playing field for all businesses.”

email the author: news@queenspost.com

4 Comments

Click for Comments 
Woodside Zoo

Shame on you the owner of Mamajuana – not right that you didnt pay honest taxes to govt

Reply
Occupy Mammajuana

If it were someone stealing laundry detergent from Rite Aid, there’d be 96 comments here. But it’s a business owner stealing from the people (and likely also committing wage theft), so the comments are empty.

Reply
Critic Al

Make him and his restaurant canceled? He’s a criminal. No one should eat at his restaurant. That hurts his staff. So he’s hurting them as well. No jail time for this lowlife? Canceled and 2-5 years in jail.

4
1
Reply

Leave a Comment
Reply to this Comment

All comments are subject to moderation before being posted.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Recent News

DA Katz introduces Kimi, the facility dog providing comfort to Queens crime victims

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz introduced one of the newest members of her team on Wednesday as part of her office’s public information campaign during Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

Kimi, a 2-year-old golden retriever/Labrador retriever, has been appointed as a facility dog to provide comfort and companionship to crime victims and witnesses. “Kimi has been an extraordinary addition to our team here at the Queens District Attorney’s Office,” Katz said. “She’s affectionate, highly trained, and has already assisted survivors and witnesses and put them at ease.”