He’s going from making bar pies to staying behind bars.
Celebrity pizza chef Bruno DiFabio was sentenced to 30 days in a federal prison for tax evasion on Thursday.
DiFabio, 51, known as “Lord of the Pies,” was sentenced in federal court in Bridgeport, Conn. but remains free on $100,000 bail. The chef was ordered to report to an as-yet-to-be-determined federal prison on July 12.
According to prosecutors, DiFabio schemed with others to hide more than $800,000 of income from some of his restaurants, including Amore Cucina and Bar in Stamford, Conn., and Pinocchio Pizza locations in Connecticut and New York. He had previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to file false income tax returns and false payroll tax returns.
DiFabio’s business partner in some of the restaurants, Steven Cioffi, also pleaded guilty and was sentenced to the same penalty last week. Two others, an accountant and a bookkeeper for the restaurants, also pleaded guilty but are awaiting sentencing.
“Everything is true,” he said in court, according to a Hearst Connecticut Media report. “I engaged in negligent behavior and I’m not proud of it. I did this fully knowing that I was doing something illegal and I minimized the extent of it. And I allowed it to go on as I became more successful in business and I opened up more restaurants.
“I did this out of arrogance and I am very sorry and I do understand the impacts of my behavior,” he said.
Prosecutors said DiFabio had so far paid about $125,000 in restitution and would be making full restitution.
DiFabio, who is known for dancing as he prepares dough, has appeared on a number of cooking-related TV shows, including “Chopped” and “Food Network Challenge: Pizza Champions.”
With News Wire Services
