Casa Don Juan Owner Faces 37 Months in Prison for $5.1M Tax Evasion

LAS VEGAS, NV (Las Vegas Times) - In a recent development, Raul Gil, the owner/operator of Casa Don Juan restaurants in Las Vegas, has been sentenced to 37 months in prison for tax evasion. The U.S. Attorney’s Office disclosed that Gil instructed bookkeepers to fabricate sales numbers, resulting in a $5.1 million underreporting of sales from 2014 to 2018.

The 63-year-old restaurateur's actions led to a $1.6 million loss for the IRS, as revealed by the office of Jason M. Frierson, U.S. Attorney for the District of Nevada.

U.S. District Judge Andrew P. Gordon ordered Gil to pay $2,228,943.65 in restitution. Gil's scheme involved providing falsified sales records to an external tax return preparer responsible for his federal income tax returns.

Despite pleading guilty to tax evasion in August 2022, facing a maximum sentence of five years, Gil continued to deny the inaccuracies in daily cash reports and point-of-sale records during interviews with the IRS. This deception extended to statements made to IRS-Criminal Investigation special agents.

The announcement was made by Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division, U.S. Attorney Jason M. Frierson for the District of Nevada, and IRS Criminal Investigations Phoenix Field Office Acting Special Agent in Charge Carissa Messick.

The IRS criminal investigations unit, with the efforts of Trial Attorney Thomas Flynn of the Tax Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Tony Lopez of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Nevada, conducted the investigation.

This case serves as a stark reminder of the consequences of financial misconduct, impacting both the government and the local community. The sentencing of Raul Gil raises questions about the future of Casa Don Juan and its standing in the vibrant culinary landscape of Las Vegas.