BOSTON — The former owner of two restaurants in Massachusetts has been sentenced to federal prison for filing false tax returns and failing to report more than $3.5 million to the IRS.
Remigijus Mikelenas, 55, of Gilford, New Hampshire, formerly of Canton, was sentenced to one year and one day in prison, followed by one year of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Leah Foley said in a statement on Wednesday. U.S. District Court Judge Leo T. Sorokin handed down his sentence.
Mikelenas was also ordered to pay more than $800,000 in restitution to the Internal Revenue Service and more than $100,000 in restitution to the state of Massachusetts.
In August 2024, Mikelenas was arrested and charged with three counts of filing false tax returns, Foley said. Mikelenas was the owner of a café and a juice bar in Canton.
Between approximately 2012 through 2020, Mikelenas deliberately failed to report more than $3.5 million in gross receipts at his businesses to the Internal Revenue Service.
As a result, Mikelenas avoided paying more than $820,000 in federal income taxes.
During the investigation, prosecutors said Mikelenas told an undercover agent posing as a prospective buyer for the businesses, that he regularly underreported his gross receipts to the IRS and showed the agent a copy of the “real” books that reflected the businesses’ true earnings.
During the meeting, according to prosecutors, Mikelenas asked the agent whether he worked for the IRS, and added, “If I get caught, I’ll be screwed.”
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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