After many years of tainting his iconic mother’s name over dubious business practices, Shanga Hankerson, Gladys Knight’s son, is headed to the prison.
Fox 5 reported that Hankerson, the ex-owner of the Gladys Knight’s Chicken and Waffles restaurant in Atlanta, bagged prison sentence over tax issues at the restaurant because he “failed to remit payroll taxes.”
In an email to the AJC, Kurt Erskine said: “Hankerson willfully disregarded his tax obligations for many years.
“Payroll taxes fund social insurance programs, including Social Security and Medicare, and are a large source of revenue for the federal government. Employers who fail to comply with their legal obligations will be held accountable.”
According to the report, Hankerson will serve two years in prison, one year of monitored release, and he must pay back restitution of $1,039,310.65 for not remitting fully payroll taxes from 2012 to 2016. Hankerson pleaded guilty on July 21.
Though Hankerson leveraged his mother’s name and goodwill to promote the business, based on the information presented in court, he was the sole owner of the business he established in 1997. He opened outlets in northern Georgia and Washington, D.C.
In 2016, Hankerson was nabbed and the Georgia Department of Revenue closed down three of his chicken and waffles restaurants. According to the AJC, staff of the restaurants said that Hankerson spent money from his businesses on weed and sex parties.
The Chicken and Waffles businesses have been the bone of contention and concern for Gladys Knight who sued him to remove her name and likeness from his businesses.
