By Della Hasselle
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
MANHATTAN — A Washington Heights restaurant owner who admitted to stealing over $800,000 from the state will be allowed to go back to work soon, the New York Post reported.
Rolando Lantigua, 35, made a deal with prosecutors Thursday that allows him to keep Arka Lounge, one of his three Washington Heights restaurants, open in exchange for $300,000, to be paid back to the state over a period of five years, according to the Post. Lantigua was also ordered to serve two days a week at Rikers Island for 11 months.
Lantigua was arrested in March of last year for pocketing over $300,000 in state and city sales taxes from his restaurant Rancho Jubilee alone, according to his indictment. He was charged with grand larceny, punishable by a sentence of five to 15 years.
Lantigua later admitted to stealing $500,000 more in taxes from his restaurants between 2002 and 2008. As part of his deal, he agreed to have the state make a judgment against him for the full amount, the Post reported.
The sentence is a far cry from the jail time Lantigua could have received.
The restaurateur is rumored to be very politically well-connected. Arka Lounge was the site of the primary night victory party for Democratic nominee for Assembly, Guillermo Linares.
Lantigua will keep Arka Lounge open, located on 4488 Broadway. His other restaurants, Rancho Jubilee and Hispianola Restaurant, have both closed.
