AR: State Orders Acambaro Restaurants To Close
State Orders Acambaro Restaurants To Close
Last updated Thursday, August 14, 2008 6:57 PM CDT in Business
By Anna Fry
The Morning News
BENTONVILLE - State officials served a business closure order to the Acambaro restaurant chain on Wednesday for nonpayment of sales tax.
The group of restaurants was involved in a recent illegal immigration case.
The chain has until the close of business Wednesday to pay its balance or closure notices will be posted, said Roberta Overman, manager of the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration's sales and use tax section.
The department issues the orders if a business defaults on three months' taxes within a 24-month period. After closure notices are posted, businesses can reopen once they've repaid their debt in full.
Six Acambaro locations in Northwest Arkansas have a consolidated account as a single corporation with the department, Overman said. So, the department served the order to the corporation.
The manager of at least one of the six restaurants contacted Thursday said it was under new ownership. It was unclear who owned the other five locations.
Arturo Reyes is listed as the corporation's agent on tax documents, Overman said. But the documents don't specify whether it's Arturo Reyes Sr. or Jr. A phone listing for Reyes Sr. couldn't be found and a phone number listed for Reyes Jr. was disconnected.
Liens have been filed for about $27,000 the corporation owes in state, city and county taxes, Overman said. That total is from one month, but the chain owes several more months, Overman said.
Because liens haven't been filed on the additional taxes, Overman can't discuss the amount, she said.
Maria Perea, manager of the Pea Ridge location, said her restaurant has been under new ownership since July 1 and no longer belongs to the corporation.
Overman said the department hasn't been notified of the business sale. How the sale would affect the closure depends on how the sale was conducted, Overman said.
Reyes Sr., representing the Acambaro restaurant chain, entered a tentative plea agreement Aug. 7 to a felony charge of harboring or shielding aliens for commercial gain. He agreed to pay $400,000 in lieu of forfeiting property, including the restaurants.
Arturo Reyes Jr., 35, his wife, Silvia Reyes, 36, and employee Lucila Huaracha, 33, all of Rogers, and Armando Reyes, 33, of Lowell were arrested in a Dec. 10 raid by the Northwest Arkansas Immigration Criminal Apprehension Task Force.
Arturo Reyes Jr. and brother Armando entered pleas in U.S. District Court to misdemeanor charges of knowingly hiring an illegal alien. Huaracha and Silvia Reyes pleaded guilty to entering the country illegally.
http://www.nwaonline.net/articles/2008/ ... ambaro.txt
