Former Rockford Restaurant Owner, Bookkeeper Charged With Sales Tax Evasion

CHICAGO — The former owner and bookkeeper of a Rockford restaurant have been charged with defrauding Illinois of more than $100,000 in sales taxes. James Vitale, 74, of Belvidere, and Lori Rice, 52, of Rockford, face multiple felony counts including theft of government property, sales tax evasion, filing a fraudulent sales tax return and forgery in Winnebago County Circuit Court. Authorities allege the pair underreported sales for the Stone Eagle Tavern from January 2016 through September 2020. Both pleaded not guilty and are scheduled to appear in court Dec. 18. The case was initiated by the Illinois Department of Revenue and is being prosecuted by the Attorney General’s Special Prosecutions Bureau.