Philadelphia Area Restaurateur Guilty on Tax Offenses

PHILADELPHIA – Giuseppe “Pino” DiMeo, 49, of Eagleville, Pennsylvania pled guilty today to two counts of conspiring to defraud the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”), and nine counts of filing false tax returns announced Acting United States Attorney Louis D. Lappen. DiMeo admitted that he conspired with his business partners at restaurants in Wilmington, Delaware and in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania area to defraud the IRS of income taxes and payroll taxes. DiMeo skimmed cash from three of his restaurants and failed to report the cash income to the IRS. DiMeo also paid many of his employees in cash under the table and failed to inform his accountant or the IRS about his businesses’ cash payroll. In total, the government has determined, and alleges that, DiMeo failed to report approximately two million dollars in income to the IRS.

DiMeo’s cash skimming and paying employees under the table occurred at DiMeo’s Pizza in Lafayette Hill, Pennsylvania (now closed), Pizzeria DiMeo’s (Andorra), Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and DiMeo’s Pizzaiuoli Napulitani in Wilmington, Delaware. DiMeo is also an owner of Arde Osteria in Wayne, Pennsylvania.

The defendant faces a maximum possible sentence of 37 years of imprisonment, three years of supervised release, a $2.75 million fine, and a $1,100 special assessment.

The case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigations,

and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Maria M. Carrillo and Tiwana L. Wright.