UPDATE: Gladys Knight’s son has been arrested and is on out on bail on charges that he appropriated money from the restaurants he managed.
The owner of Gladys Knight’s Chicken & Waffles restaurants was released on $20,000 bond from Clayton County jail Wednesday afternoon, according to online inmate records.
Shanga Hankerson, son of the R&B legend, faces two counts of felony theft by taking for some $52,600 in sales tax a Georgia Department of Revenue investigator said was collected in March and April but never sent to the state, according to applications for criminal arrest warrants filed in Clayton County Magistrate Court.
Hankerson, 39, is accused of taking a total of $650,000 in state sales and withholding taxes, which after penalties and interest totals more than $1 million. The restaurants, which were raided Tuesday, were closed Wednesday.
No bond amount was listed for Hankerson in online jail records.
Atlanta is down a few chicken and waffles restaurants. Gladys Knight’s three Atlanta-based restaurants were closed temporarily due to issues with her son, who runs them.
ORIGINAL STORY:
The Georgia Department of Revenue has raided Gladys Knight’s Chicken and Waffles.
Gladys Knight’s son, who runs the operation, is at the center of an investigation involving $1 million, according to Channel 2 Action News. Gladys Knight is not involved in the investigation.
All three Gladys Knight’s Chicken and Waffles locations in metro Atlanta have been closed, Channel 2 reported. The restaurants could reopen as soon as Thursday, possibly under state control, the station reported.
