Former 'RHOA' Star Peter Thomas Sentenced to Prison for Tax Fraud:
Former 'Real Housewives of Atlanta' star Peter Thomas, 64, has been sentenced to 18 months in prison after pleading guilty to tax fraud charges.
The December 18 sentencing also includes two years of supervised release and a staggering $2.5 million in restitution payment.
The Bar One restaurant owner and Cynthia Bailey's ex-husband faced serious allegations of tax evasion from 2017 to 2023.
According to federal prosecutors, Thomas misused funds that should have gone to employment taxes, instead spending the funds on personal items, including $375,000 on travel and ride-sharing services and $250,000 on high-end fashion from brands like Neiman Marcus, Prada, Louis Vuitton, and Givenchy.
The prosecutor's memo was particularly critical of Thomas's actions.
"Thomas's flagrant violation of his federal payroll tax obligations over many years that served to unjustly enrich his companies and himself by more than $2.5 million and deprive the federal government funds used to provide important retirement and disability benefits to employees."
The memo further condemned Thomas as being "motivated by greed," noting that "Thomas defied the tax laws, expanding his business, hiring more employees, increasing overhead and adding more business locations at the expense of his legal obligations."
Just before his sentencing, Thomas took to Instagram to address his situation.
"I'll be making an appearance in the United States government federal courthouse here in Charlotte, North Carolina, to face the music. The music of ... consistently withholding taxes for [my] businesses [for] over 10 years."
He admitted his misconception about resolving the issue: "I thought it was something that I could rectify by getting on that payment plan and paying it. But it doesn't work like that."
In a cautionary message to fellow entrepreneurs, Thomas wrote: "Public announcement, most people are confused when it come to paying withholding taxes, I am here to set the record straight, yes you will go to jail, [yes] you still have to pay the taxes. Also, jail don't mean that the taxes is forgiven. All young business owner, please learn for my mistake."
