Cherry Hill Mall

By Sam Barron From Daily Voice

A 57-year-old South Jersey restaurant owner has been indicted on tax fraud charges, authorities announced Tuesday, Nov. 18.

Andrew Cosenza Jr., who owned The Bistro at Cherry Hill in the Cherry Hill Mall, is charged with eight counts of filing a false or fraudulent tax return and eight counts of failing to turn over collected, withheld taxes, Attorney General Matthew Platkin said.

An investigation into The Bistro began in 2023 by the New Jersey Division of Taxation’s Office of Criminal Investigation, Platkin said.

Cosenza did not remit the proper amount of sales tax to the Division of Taxation for 2021 and 2022, Platkin said.

The investigation revealed alleged discrepancies between the gross amounts submitted by Cosenza in his filed tax returns versus the amounts that are provided to the Division of Taxation, Platkin said.

The gross receipts reported for the Bistro at Cherry Hill significantly exceeded the gross receipts reported on the business’s Sales and Use Tax form, Platkin said.

The business was collecting sales tax from its customers and not turning that money over to the state, Platkin said.

Cosenza failed to remit $271,621 in sales tax to the New Jersey Division of Taxation, Platkin said.

The Bistro closed several months ago amid bankruptcy proceedings.