A Dolton liquor license holder, already facing revocation for a May nightclub shooting that injured five people, must now respond to unrelated alleged tax violations.
Mucho Gusto LLC, 14112 S. Chicago Road, has been summoned to appear Thursday before an administrative law judge appointed by the Illinois Liquor Control Commission for alleged noncompliance with state tax laws.
The corporation has failed to file and pay sales/use tax, E911 surcharge returns and withholding income tax for all of 2017, according to a citation and hearing notice issued July 12 by the ILCC.
At Thursday’s hearing, which is closed to the public, the judge will recommend to the ILCC whether to fine Mucho Gusto, or suspend or revoke its liquor license, a Department of Revenue spokesman said. The ILCC then will accept or reject the judge’s recommendation at a public hearing later this month, he said.
Representatives from Mucho Gusto did not respond to a request for comment on this week’s state hearing, which is unrelated to a local liquor license hearing Dolton officials have in the works.
In that case, the village seeks to revoke Mucho Gusto’s liquor license for allegedly allowing an unlicensed tenant to operate a nightclub in the building its principal, Robert Terzich, owns.
Dolton asserts that Club One, which opened in January without a valid liquor license, improperly used Mucho Gusto’s license after leasing the space from Terzich in early 2017.
Village officials allege Club One, which has been closed since Mother’s Day when a shooting there injured five people, failed to adequately screen and search patrons for weapons before they entered the club, failed to maintain crowd control and permitted drug use within the club.
Terzich and his lawyer have not responded to several phone calls requesting comment on the village’s allegations.
Mayor Riley Rogers, who had been set to adjudicate the local hearing, recused himself from the proceedings following a Daily Southtown report that found he received $5,000 in campaign contributions from two companies run by an individual connected to Club One shortly after the establishment opened. Rogers also received a $1,000 donation from Terzich in June 2014, state records show.
Following his recusal, Rogers installed retired Cook County Judge Michael Stuttley to preside over the hearing, which had yet to be rescheduled as of late last week.
Because Illinois is a dual licensed state, Mucho Gusto would no longer be able to sell alcohol if either its local or state liquor license were revoked, a Department of Revenue spokesman said.
zkoeske@tribpub.com
Twitter @ZakKoeske
