A Raleigh-area restaurant owner is at the center of a high-dollar tax case after state investigators say she siphoned off nearly $179,000 in sales taxes collected at two local spots instead of sending the money to Raleigh’s coffers.
Prosecutors allege that the funds, taken from money that should have been remitted to the state, were diverted over multiple years, triggering a criminal probe and a stack of court filings. The allegations are already putting a spotlight on how closely local restaurants track and report their sales-tax receipts.
State records and charging documents cited in recent reporting show the alleged shortfall totals about $179,000, including roughly $145,172.77 linked to Red Monkey and $33,726.93 tied to Arepa Bar. Investigators say Marcella Aguado de la Cruz was the responsible person for sales-tax collections at both businesses during the periods under review. As reported by WRAL, those amounts stem from state records covering 2019 and 2020…