Chon gets away with it

From the NY Post:

One of the honchos of Spa Castle pleaded guilty Thursday to attempted tax fraud charges, while the notorious Queens bathhouse agreed to pay $2.5 million for cheating the system by under-reporting income.

Daniel Chon was sentenced to a three-year conditional discharge — and no jail time — after copping to felony attempted criminal tax fraud charges.

The College Point spa mecca, meanwhile, was convicted of criminal tax fraud charges and agreed to pay the millions in restitution and damages as part of a simultaneous civil action.

The state Attorney General’s Office brought a slew of indictment charges against Spa Castle, Chon and several members of his family last year, claiming they failed to pay $1.5 million in taxes by under-reporting revenue.

Weinstein noted, however, that Chon pleaded guilty to just one count related to attempting to not remit sales tax “in excess of $10,000.”

The cases against Chon’s siblings — Victor Chon, Stephanie Chon and Spa Castle owner Steve Chon — were all dismissed with prejudice, according to Weinstein.

“We have zero tolerance for tax cheats who leave New Yorkers to foot the bill,” Attorney General Barbara Underwood said in announcing the pleas. “The defendants orchestrated a multi-million dollar scheme to defraud taxpayers.”

Wow, this is zero tolerance?

Chons donated heavily to Queens Dems

From the NY Post:

Spa Castle CEO Steven Chon and several members of his family gave $31,300 to Queens Democratic Party Chairman Joe Crowley; $35,200 to Rep. Grace Meng; and $12,350 to Queens Borough President Melinda Katz since 2006, according to federal, state, and city campaign filings.

Crowley welcomed Chon as his guest to see South Korea’s then-President Park Geun-hye address Congress in 2013. The invite came six weeks after Chon and four relatives pooled $12,700 for Crowley’s campaign coffers, records show.

A rep for Crowley did not return messages.

How about that $4,500.00 for Paul Vallone?

Chon family charged with tax evasion

From NBC:

The family owners of a popular spa destination in Queens have been indicted on felony charges for failure to pay $1.5 million in taxes over the course of three years, authorities announced Wednesday.

The owners of Spa Castle Inc., a 100,000-square foot spa facility in College Point, Queens, didn't pay the sales, withholding, corporate and MTA surcharge taxes they owed from 2010 through 2013, state officials say.

"The scale of theft alleged in this case is staggering," said Acting Commissioner of Taxation and Finance Nonie Manion, who announced the indictment along with Attorney General Eric Schneiderman.
The investigation began when authorities executed a search warrant at Spa Castle Inc. in August 2015, and found records showing the spa owners underreported earnings and paid workers and vendors in cash.

Steven Chon, 57; his brothers Daniel Chon, 54, and Victor Chon, 50; and daughter Stephanie Chon, 29, were arraigned Wednesday in Queens Supreme Court. Bail has been set at $100,000 bond.

Wow, what a bargain!

I couldn't help but laugh at this ad on Brownstoner Queens:

There’s a new building renting at 37-53 75th Street, right off Roosevelt Avenue in Jackson Heights. There are six full-floor units, all three and four bedrooms. The three-bedroom units are asking $2,950 a month, four bedrooms are asking $3,600.

What idiot is paying that much to rent a piece of Steve Chon Queens Crap in Jackson Heights? This replaced a one-family home.

Broad Channel's extra story

Here we are in Broad Channel on Cross Bay Blvd at East 9th Road. I noticed this building which had been started years ago has stalled out.

Looking on the DOB's website, we find that the property has had a couple of stop work orders in place since 2009. Both are for a defective/expired fence. But that seems like an easy enough thing to get resolved. Maybe there's another issue here.

Let's look at what is supposed to be built here. Permits issued in 2010 to developer/engineer Steve Chon were for a one-story retail building containing 3 stores.

Looks like the construction crew forgot to stop at one story. This is why there's a relatively recent complaint from 9/2012. I'm sure DOB will get around to inspecting it eventually...

What's Chon up to this time?

From the Times Ledger:

Community members are growing concerned about a builder’s amorphous plans for what they describe as a historic property in downtown Flushing.

Chon Property Corp. of Flushing bought the so-called Millenium office building, at 137-72 Northern Blvd., for $2.6 million in 2003, according to city records, but the building, which the city estimates was built in 1930, sits empty today, despite its prime location at Northern’s intersection with busy Union Street.

There were three open complaints, four open city Department of Buildings violations, seven open Environmental Control Board violations and an open partial stop-work order against the commercially zoned, 11,613-square-foot building as of Tuesday.

Ah, so that's what's going on!

From the Daily News:

THE DEVELOPER behind a controversial yet thriving College Point spa plans to open a boutique hotel in an abandoned newspaper office in Flushing, Queens News has learned.

Steve Chon, whose Spa Castle sparked fears of parking woes and overdevelopment during its construction in 2006, hopes to lure lodgers to the bustling stretch of Northern Blvd. by Union St.

A banner along the proposed hotel site bills a "high-end luxurious boutique hotel coming soon." Work permits indicate the construction will finish next year.

Chon did not return phone and email messages for comment, but his associate, Yong Seok Choi, confirmed plans for the hotel.

Locals said the heavily-trafficked area near Flushing High School seems an unusual spot for a "boutique hotel" - a term that usually refers to an intimate, stylish place to stay.

Chon can build the Flushing hotel "as of right" - meaning without a zoning variance by the city.