The owner of a landmark shore pizzeria company has appealed his sentence in a tax-evasion case, two years after pleading guilty.
Manco & Manco’s owner Charles Bangle admitted to failing to report more than quarter-million dollars in taxable income on July 2, 2015.
But as the second anniversary of that day passed, Bangle has yet to serve a day in prison. Instead, he spent the weekend celebrating the grand opening of a new mega Manco & Manco’s at the old Strand theater on the Ocean City Boardwalk.
After six sentencing postponements, Bangle was given a 15-month term this past Feb. 24. But, the judge also allowed him to wait to begin serving that time until Sept. 10, after the summer season is over.
But now Bangle is
appealing that sentence, saying it does not fit the guidelines of the plea agreement.
Defense attorney Laurence Shtasel submitted a notice to appeal the sentencing just three days after it was imposed.
The government has asked that the appeal be dismissed because Bangle waived his rights as part of the agreement.
But Shtasel argues in a motion filed June 6 — after being granted a two-week extension to the appeal timeline — that Bangle can appeal because he was sentenced under a higher offense level than agreed to under the plea.
The government responded by saying that, although the judge began with a Level 15 offense rather than Level 13, the final sentence still fell within the timeframe of the lower offense.
Shtasel did not respond to calls and emails seeking comment on the case.
