Domino’s Pizza Franchisee Sentenced to a Year and a Day in Prison, Ordered to Pay $2.5 Million to IRS for Tax Crimes

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero announced that Ammar Jali, 56, of Bethlehem, PA, was sentenced today by United States District Judge Joshua D. Wolson to 12 months and one day in prison, one year of supervised release, and a $50,000 fine, and ordered to pay $2.5 million to the Internal Revenue Service for filing false tax returns.

The defendant was the sole shareholder of 36 Domino’s Pizza restaurants located throughout Pennsylvania and Ohio. On January 29, 2024, Jali pleaded guilty to filing a false tax return for his businesses and himself.

From 2014 to 2016, Jali underreported the gross receipts for his Domino’s stores by $10,000,000 and caused his accountant to file false tax returns. Accordingly, Jali caused over $2.5 million of tax loss to the federal government. 

“Owning your own business often requires taking some risks,” said U.S. Attorney Romero. “But in underreporting his restaurants’ earnings by millions and millions of dollars, Mr. Jali went beyond risk-taking straight to law-breaking. In doing so, he was effectively thumbing his nose at both the IRS and all the honest filers who accurately report their income and pay what they owe. This case should send the message that my office and IRS-CI won’t put up with tax cheats, and we will pursue and prosecute these crimes to ensure they’re held accountable.”

“Anyone contemplating cheating on their taxes should know that IRS Criminal Investigation Special Agents work tirelessly, year-round, to investigate tax and financial crimes,” said IRS Criminal Investigation Acting Special Agent in Charge Denise Leuenberger. “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.”

The case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Tiwana Wright.