Three sibling restaurateurs sentenced to 30 months

Three brothers who own a popular chain of Colombian restaurants on Long Island have each been sentenced to 30 months in prison for evading millions of dollars in federal taxes, according to officials.

Juan Carlos, Eduardo and Fernando Pabon, who operate the Mi Tierrita chain and live in Holtsville, were also ordered to pay restitution of $1.4 million at their sentencing Friday in U.S. District Court in Central Islip, officials said.

The restaurants are in Brentwood, Patchogue and Hempstead, officials said. When the brothers were arrested in June 2009, Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Kelly said that they pocketed the millions in cash receipts "right from the safe."

Kelly added that the money, taken between 2003 and 2008, was used both for personal expenses and to pay restaurant workers without paying payroll taxes.

In addition, Kelly said more than 50 of the restaurants' employees did not have authorization to work in the United States.

The case was one of several that have been brought recently by the Criminal Investigation Division of the Internal Revenue Service as part of a crackdown aimed at Long Island businesses that pay workers off-the-books and do not report income or pay payroll taxes.

Most of the businesses have been in the construction industry.

Neither Kelly nor the lawyer for the brothers could be reached immediately for comment.