Ancient The Real Housewives of Atlanta Star Peter Thomas has spoken out after his guilty plea to tax fraud landed him an 18-month prison sentence.
The ex-husband of RHOA Star Cynthia Bailey was sentenced on Dec. 19, when the TV personality was also informed he would serve two years of supervised release following his time in prison. In addition, Thomas, owner of Bar One restaurants, will have to pay $2.5 million in restitution.
Taking to Instagram after his sentencing, Thomas, 64, expressed his gratitude to some of those involved in his case, including the judge and prosecutor.
“I would like to thank Mademoiselle [C. Melissa] Owen, my attorney, for doing an incredible job,” he said. “I want to thank the prosecutor and the judge because they did an incredible job, and I’m grateful that they are great people righteous.”
“I am grateful and I am [going to] stay grateful, and see you soon, guys,” Thomas continued, before explaining that authorities are “allowing me to finish some of my business before I have to turn myself in.”
He added that his legal situation is “not at all as bad as what I see on social media,” and called those involved in his case “fair.”
“Again, I thank these people, because these people are more than kind and these people are more than fair.”
News week contacted a Thomas representative via email for comment.
Thomas was accused of failing to pay employment taxes for his businesses. Instead, prosecutors claimed, he spent nearly $375,000 on travel and ride-sharing services and $250,000 on luxury goods from high-end fashion stores and brands.
“Thomas’ blatant violation of his federal payroll tax obligations over many years, which served to unjustly enrich himself and his businesses by more than $2.5 million and deprive the federal government of the funds used to provide significant retirement and disability benefits to employees,” reads a memo from the federal prosecutor. , by The Baltimore Banner.
The sentencing memo further accused Thomas of being “motivated by greed,” adding that he “defied tax laws, expanding his business, hiring more employees, increasing overhead costs, and adding more business locations to the detriment of its legal obligations.
Thomas also pleaded guilty to non-payment of trust fund taxes after the investigation into his management of several of his businesses between 2017 and 2023.
A day before his sentencing, Thomas shared in another video posted to Instagram on Wednesday that he was preparing to “face the music” in a courthouse in Charlotte, North Carolina, for “systematically withholding taxes For [my] companies over 10 years.
“I thought it was something I could rectify by signing up for this payment plan and paying for it. But that’s how it works,” he said.
Captioning the clip, Thomas shared a warning for his followers. “Public announcement, most people are confused when it [comes] to the payment of withholding taxes, I am here to set the record straight, yes you will go to prison, [yes] you still have to pay taxes, prison does not mean taxes are forgiven,” he wrote. “All young entrepreneurs [owners]please learn my mistake.
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