gladys knight restaurant raid closed 1
In a heartbreaking twist for the legendary soul singer,
Gladys Knight saw her chain of Gladys Knight’s Chicken and Waffles get raided by Federal agents! Even worse, authorities say that her own son — Shanga Hankerson — has been embezzling the profits and not paying taxes.
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The restaurant had two Atlanta locations raided and shut down by agents from the Georgia Department of Revenue Special Investigations. A special investigator said: “Shanga's accused of stealing over 650,000 in both sales and withholding tax. [Add in] penalties and interest, it’s up to over $1 million owed!"
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The investigator added that Gladys, 72, is "totally in the clear" and not under any suspicion. Employees at the restaurants said that they were ordered to leave the premises. Agents then began to take computers and documents.
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Sadly, the Empress of Soul felt compelled to have a spokesman release a statement further distancing her from the chain's operations: "Gladys Knight lent her name to her son’s restaurants in the Atlanta area, similar to a celebrity endorsement. Ms. Knight was not involved in any way with the operation of the restaurants, and she is sure that her son and his business partners will rectify the situation. As always, her main concern is for her family’s well-being — and she is making sure the family has the guidance they need to assess the situation and move forward.”
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