Manchester Restaurant Owner and Tax Preparer Indicted on Tax Crimes

New Hampshire Attorney General Gordon J. MacDonald and Commissioner John T. Beardmore announce that the Hillsborough County Grand Jury indicted Stylianos “Steve” Asprogiannis (age 47) of Bedford, on four counts of tax evasion, two counts of theft, one count of conspiracy to commit tax evasion, and one count of falsifying physical evidence.

As alleged in the indictments, Mr. Asprogiannis owns and operates AEK, Inc. d/b/a Zoey’s Pizza in Manchester. The theft charges allege that Mr. Asprogiannis, as owner and operator of Zoey’s Pizza, stole over $102,000 in monthly meals and rentals tax payments from September 1, 2011 through June 30, 2016. The remaining charges relate to Mr. Asprogiannis’s attempt to evade business profits taxes resulting in additional tax due of approximately $100,000, and crimes committed during a recent Department of Revenue Administration audit of Zoey’s Pizza.

Mr. Asprogiannis’s tax preparer, Maria Panourgias (age 61) of Windham, was indicted on one count of conspiracy to commit tax evasion for her role in attempting to defraud the Department of Revenue Administration during the audit of Zoey’s Pizza.

The theft charges against Asprogiannis are class A felonies and are punishable by up to 7.5 to 15 years at the State Prison. All other felony offenses charged against Asprogiannis and Panourgias constitute class B felonies punishable by up to 3.5 to 7 years.

The Department of Revenue Administration and the Attorney General’s Office continue to investigate revenue suppression related to the State’s tax programs. If you have information related to revenue suppression or tax fraud, please visit the Department of Revenue Administration’s website at http://www.revenue.nh.gov/how-do-i/report-tax-fraud.htm, or send an e-mail to TaxFraudHotline@dra.nh.gov, or call the Tax Fraud Hotline at 603-230-5030.

Press Release