Closed Beech Creek Restaurant Owner Charged with Failing to Pay State Taxes

HARRISBURG — Beech Creek’s Furst Corner Restaurant closed after 31 years in early June. This week state Attorney General Josh Shapiro announced criminal charges against the business owner for failure to pay more than $100,000 in state taxes.

The charges are against Donna Bittner, the owner of Beech Creek Furst Corner Restaurant. The case was referred to the Office of Attorney General by the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue’s Bureau of Criminal Tax Investigations.

According to the release from the AG’s office, Bittner was responsible for preparing, filing and paying the sales and employer taxes for Beech Creek Furst Corner Restaurant. Instead of remitting tax payments to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, it is alleged, she used the funds for business operations. Bittner is charged with failing to pay a total of $114,456.81 in sales and employer taxes between June 2012 and March 2017. The total includes $106,565.20 in state sales tax and $7,891.61 in employer withholding taxes.

Bittner is charged with 78 counts of Theft by Failure to Make Required Disposition of Funds, 12 counts of Willful Failure to Timely File Sales Tax Returns, and 4 counts of Willful Failure to File Employer Withholding Tax Returns. The complaints were filed Monday and the attorney general’s office said arrangements are being made for the defendant to turn herself in.

The restaurant’s last day of operation was June 4 of this year and the business has been listed for sale for some time. Charles and Donna Bittner bought the building in 1986, restored the structure and opened the restaurant, serving diners for 31 years. At the time of the June shutdown it was reported that Mrs. Bittner was retiring.

The restaurant building dates to 1862, constructed by Beech Creek businessman George Furst.