ROCKFORD, Ill. — Felony charges have been filed against the former owner of a Rockford restaurant and its bookkeeper after they allegedly defrauded the state out of more than $100,000 in sales taxes over a four-year period.
James Vitale, a 74-year-old Belvidere resident, and Lori Rice, a 52-year-old Rockford resident, have each been charged with four counts of theft of governmental property over $100,000, one count of sales tax evasion, one count of filing a fraudulent sales tax return and two counts of forgery, Attorney General Kwame Raoul announced Monday.
The charges were handed down following an investigation by the Illinois Department of Revenue (IDOR) Criminal Investigation Division…