Aug. 8, 2013 Staff Report
The owner of six Queens Papa John’s pizzeria franchises—including one that was in Sunnyside– was charged today for failing to pay $217,000 in state sales tax.
Syed Mehboob–who owned franchises in Astoria, Corona, Woodside, Bayside and Sunnyside—was arraigned this morning on charges ranging from second-degree grand larceny to falsifying business records.
Mehboob’s charges stem from tax filings between March 1, 2005, and November 30, 2010.
The Papa John’s franchise in Sunnyside, which was located at 40-18 Greenpoint Ave., closed quite some time ago. The pizzeria was reviewed by sunnysidefood.com, a local food blog, back in September 2011.
If convicted, Mehboob faces up to fifteen years in prison. He was released without bail.
