The New York State Department of Taxation and Finance announced today that the co-owners of three restaurants in the Bronx have been arrested for sales tax evasion.

The defendants were identified as Marlon J. Muentes, 58, of 1616 Allerton Ave., the Bronx, and Teodoro Mosaurieta, 67, of 8031 90^th Ave., Woodhaven, NY, and their three equally co-owned Bronx-based restaurants, which have previously closed: King Steak Corp. at 500 East 149^th St., 463 Willis Ave. Corp. at 463 Willis Ave., and 849 Castle Hill Corp., located at 849 Castle Hill Ave.

The defendants were charged on January 20 with multiple felonies, including grand larceny and criminal tax fraud.  They allegedly collected $100,000 in sales tax from customers at the three restaurants but failed to remit those funds to the State as required by law.

The next court date has not been set.  The defendants, if convicted, could serve from 2 1/3 to 7 years in prison.

The case was investigated by the Tax Department's Criminal Investigations Division and will be prosecuted by the Bronx County District Attorney's office.

A criminal complaint is an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

Each year, New York State businesses collect more than $25 billion in sales tax from their customers. The vast majority of the funds (97%) are remitted voluntarily by businesses to the Tax Department for state programs and distribution to local governments.