Witnesses say he used that money to fund sex parties and to buy weed. Hankerson was arrested in June for pocketing taxes that the restaurant had taken in from customers. READ MORE: Insane Clown Posse Cancelled a San Diego Show Because the Venue Banned Faygo What kind of trouble could make a mother sue to have her name taken off the restaurant run by her very own son? Pretty big trouble. I have invested sixty-years of my life developing my craft, name and brand and I do not want my name associated with the business at this time."
Knight gave the following statement regarding the lawsuit to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: "Until the legal issues are resolved it is best to remove my name because I do not have an interest in or influence over the restaurants. The place was said to be modeled on chicken-and-waffles joints in Harlem, and was known for a special called The Midnight Train, which featured four jumbo chicken wings served on a golden waffle. It started as a beautiful story: A mother helped a troubled son-devastated by his parents' divorce and severely overweight-to find his footing and become a restauranteur. “I want to give them the best of who I am.”ĬNN’s Jason Morris contributed to this report.READ MORE: Patti LaBelle's Sweet Potato Pie Has Gone Completely Viral I’m just as concerned about them as them buying tickets to come my concerts,” Knight told WSB. “About the people that walk through the doors. “I’m not trying to get a whooping at home,” Hankerson said, speaking of the restaurant health rating. Knight told WSB her son called her immediately after the failed inspection and said she was confident in his ability to run the restaurant.
Knight visited the restaurant while she was in town performing at a concert. A followup review raised the score to 90.īoth Knight and Hankerson discussed the health inspection with CNN affiliate WSB earlier this month. In February, the downtown location failed its health inspection after it received a 56 total score. Gladys Knight’s Chicken and Waffles opened in Atlanta in 1997 and has expanded to three locations. As always, her main concern is for her family’s well-being and she is making sure the family has the guidance they need to assess the situation and move forward.” Knight was not involved in any way with the operation of the restaurants and she is sure that her son and his business partners will rectify the situation. Knight, a seven-time Grammy winner, is not suspected of any criminal activity in the case against her son.Ī statement from her public relations agency sent to CNN read, “Gladys Knight lent her name to her son’s restaurants in the Atlanta area, similar to a celebrity endorsement. They have all been for sales and withholding tax,” Gaston said. “He has been in over two dozen payment plans and has defaulted on all of them. This is not the first time Hankerson has been in hot water over taxes, agency spokesman William Gaston told CNN. An email inquiry sent to Hankerson received no response. The restaurant’s corporate phone line was disconnected. As soon as a receivership agreement is reached between the state and Hankerson, the restaurant should reopen for business,” Waites said. Hankerson’s attorney to have the business up and running again as soon as possible. A receptionist issued a statement of “no comment.” Revenue officials seized Hankerson’s bank accounts and three luxury vehicles, Waites said.ĬNN called the office of Hankerson’s Atlanta tax attorney, Josie Walton-Harris. Hankerson was in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on Tuesday as authorities negotiated terms of his surrender to Georgia authorities, according to the agency’s special investigation director, Josh Waites. “The department further alleges that Hankerson used these funds for personal use.”ĭepartment of Revenue agents executed search warrants at the three restaurant locations and a corporate office in Riverdale, Georgia, and “unsuccessfully attempted to serve arrest warrants on Shanga Hankerson … at his home,” the agency statement said. “After penalties and interest the total exceeds $1 million,” the department said. Shanga Hankerson, Knight’s son and the owner of the three Atlanta-area restaurants, “is accused of stealing over $650,000” in sales taxes and withholding taxes owed to the state, the agency said in a news release. Gladys Knight’s Chicken and Waffles, an Atlanta dining institution that features Southern favorites and is named after the famed singer, was raided on Tuesday after Georgia’s Department of Revenue accused the owner - Knight’s son - of theft and tax evasion. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated. This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated.
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