By Olivia Scheck
DNAinfo Reporter Producer
MANHATTAN — H&H Bagel man Helmer Toro pleaded guilty Tuesday to grand larceny for pocketing payroll taxes he'd taken out of employees pay checks.
The owner of the Upper West Side's beloved bagel maker held on to more than $369,000 in payroll taxes which he'd taken out of employees pay checks and created fake companies so that he could pay less in unemployment insurance taxes, he admitted, according to the New York Post.
In exchange for Toro's honesty, Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance struck a deal with the 59-year-old baker, requiring him to fork over more than $500,000 and spend 50 weekends in jail, the Post reported.
"Under no circumstances can employers gain in business by cheating their employees," Vance said, according to the paper. "The city's businesses must adhere to ethical standards and contribute to the tax revenue of the city and state, as well as protect their employee's interests."
Hailed by some as the city's best Bagelry, H & H has been serving up everythings on 80th Street and Broadway since 1972, according to their website. The company also owns a bagel-making plant on 46th Street and Twelfth Avenue, where they produce millions of bagels to be shipped throughout the country, according to the site.
H & H bagels have been enjoyed by acting greats Tom Hanks and Dustin Hoffman, divas Barbara Streisand and Cher and even former President Bill Clinton, the site claimed.
