This was originally posted to the Adams Morgan Listserv on May 24, 2019, as message #51217, groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/AdamsMorgan/conversations/messages/51217
Hiring CM Jack Evans would have been cheaper with less risk.
William
Former D.C. Tax Official Charged With Allegedly Taking Bribes To Erase Tax Debts Owed By Club Owners
A former official of D.C.’s tax office, a former employee of the D.C. Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs and a D.C. businessman were arrested and charged this week for allegedly participating in a five-year-long scheme through which bribes were paid to erase tax debts owed by a number of club owners.
Vincent Slater, a former official in the D.C. Office of Tax and Revenue; Anthony Merritt, a former employee of the D.C. Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs who later became a permit expediter; and Andre de Moya, owner of clubs Eden Lounge and Cafe Asia and co-owner of Echostage, were all arrested on Wednesday after a federal grand jury returned an indictment against them last week.
A former official of D.C.’s tax office, a former employee of the D.C. Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs and a D.C. businessman were arrested and charged this week for allegedly participating in a five-year-long scheme through which bribes were paid to erase tax debts owed by a number of club owners.
Vincent Slater, a former official in the D.C. Office of Tax and Revenue; Anthony Merritt, a former employee of the D.C. Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs who later became a permit expediter; and Andre de Moya, owner of clubs Eden Lounge and Cafe Asia and co-owner of Echostage, were all arrested on Wednesday after a federal grand jury returned an indictment against them last week.
The indictment alleges that Slater accepted more than $85,000 in bribes from 2013 to 2017 to erase hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of outstanding tax liabilities owed by de Moya and two other club owners who were not charged: Chao Charles Zhou, who owned Muse Nightclub and Umaya, and Arman Amirshani, who owned Ultrabar and Barcode. Merritt allegedly served as the intermediary between the club owners and Slater.
wamu.org/story/19/05/23/former-d-c-tax-official-charged-with-allegedly-taking-bribes-to-erase-tax-debts-owed-by-club-owners/