Owner Of Popular Pizza Chain Pleads Guilty To Tax Crimes

PHILADELPHIA, PA — The owner of one of Greater Philadelphia's best-known pizza chains pleaded guilty Thursday to charges after authorities accused him of concealing his family-run business's earnings from the IRS.

Frank Santucci Sr., of Moorestown, owns Santucci's Original Square Pizza. He pleaded guilty to two counts of tax evasion and two counts of filing false tax returns in Philadelphia federal court.

For several years, Santucci's operated as a "cash only" business. The family started using a digital transaction system in November 2017 to track customers' orders, according to a criminal complaint filed May 19.

Santucci was freed Thursday on $50,000 bail. Under his guilty plea, he faces up to 16 years in prison and fines up to $1 million when he's sentenced Nov. 3.

From 2015-18, Santucci maintained two sets of financial records as an informal bookkeeper for his family's North Broad Street shop, according to federal prosecutors. One set contained the shop's income, payroll and expenses, while the other reflected its weekly cash earnings.

Santucci concealed the cash earnings in bank accounts unaffiliated with the business, causing his New Jersey accountants to file tax false returns in 2017 and 2018, according to prosecutors.

Under the scheme, Santucci failed to pay $374,944 in taxes, authorities said.

Santucci's attorney told nj.com that his client is now retired and "took responsibility from the beginning of this case."

"By taking ownership of a mistake from nearly a decade ago, he is dealing with a mistake from the past, but the business he built is focused on the future," said attorney Richard J. Fuschino.

In 1959, Santucci's Original Square Pizza opened their first shop in Philadelphia. The business now has more than a dozen eateries across Greater Philly and South Jersey.

Frank Santucci Sr. took over the family business in 1976, adopting the brand from his parents, who founded Santucci's.