ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) — Former Stone Eagle Tavern and Cliffbreakers owner Jimmy Vitale pleaded guilty to the charge of forgery in Winnebago County court on Wednesday as part of a plea deal in a tax evasion case.
Prosecutors charged Vitale, 75, and his former bookkeeper, Lori Rice, 53, with theft of government property over $100,000, tax evasion, filing a fraudulent sales tax return, and two counts of forgery after an investigation by the Illinois Department of Revenue’s Criminal Investigation Division.
Vitale pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of forgery and was sentenced to two years of probation, to submit to random drug and alcohol testing, and 30 hours of public service work…