THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, August 2, 1996 TAG: 9608020442
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B5 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MARC DAVIS, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: 30 lines
The cities of Norfolk and Virginia Beach have been dismissed as defendants in a lawsuit that alleges illegal raids were conducted against the Jewish Mother restaurants in April 1994.
The dismissal this week leaves 23 defendants, all agents of the Internal Revenue Service or the state Alcoholic Beverage Control Department.
The lawsuit, filed March 4 in Norfolk's federal court, accuses the IRS and ABC agents of illegally raiding the restaurants in Norfolk and Virginia Beach, and the homes of co-owner John Colaprete and then-manager Scotty Miller.
The agencies confiscated a truckload of material from the restaurants and homes, but no charges were filed.
Five months after the raids, the IRS returned everything it had seized.
Now the restaurant's owners and former manager seek $20 million in damages. No trial date has been set.
The ABC agents have asked that the lawsuit be dismissed. The IRS agents have not replied.
On Monday, the Jewish Mother's former bookkeeper, Deborah A. Shofner, is scheduled to be tried for embezzling from the restaurants and for forging company checks.
Shofner's complaints to police and federal authorities apparently triggered the 1994 raids.
KEYWORDS: LAWSUIT IRS DISMISSED JEWISH MOTHER by CNB