Former “Real Housewives of Atlanta” star turned convicted tax evader Peter Thomas is officially headed to federal prison—and he had a few words of wisdom for fellow business owners before reporting to serve his sentence in Miami.
Thomas, who was previously married to Cynthia Bailey, was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison for failing to pay over $2.5 million in employment taxes.
He pleaded guilty to one count of failing to pay over trust fund taxes.
Federal prosecutors revealed that between 2017 and 2023, Peter Thomas’s businesses—including Club One CLT, Sports ONE, PT Media, and Bar One locations in Miami Beach and Baltimore—withheld more than $1.7 million in employee payroll taxes but failed to remit the funds to the IRS.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Caryn Finley stated that Thomas’s actions were motivated by greed, noting that he spent over $250,000 on luxury items from brands like Prada, Louis Vuitton, and Givenchy.
“Americans can spend their money as they see fit,” Finley wrote in a sentencing memo.
“However, they cannot steal other people’s money—in this case, their employees’ payroll taxes—to prop up failing business ventures.”
On Wednesday, ahead of his surrender to the Federal Bureau of Prisons, Peter Thomas took to Instagram with a candid and cautionary message for business owners.
With Bob Marley’s “Redemption Song” playing in the background, he wrote:
All my people told me not to post this, that I am crazy if I do. I am not CRAZY, just real as f***.
The first thing I must say to all new business owners: please pay that withholding tax. You do not want to be in the position that I am right now. THE LAW IS THE LAW.
It’s not easy for us Black men, especially in my industry. No bank funds restaurant/bar/lounge—we have to put that s*** on us 💯.
This is a NEW chapter in my life. It’s called accountability & responsibility. My road to redemption.
I have 3 Black sons, and I must lead by example. Also, for my 4 beautiful grandsons—this life ain’t easy, but we’re resilient, and your granddaddy is a KING.
GOD BLESS. And by the way, I didn’t just find GOD in my time of troubles—I was raised this way.
LOVE, PT.
See his original post below.
Welp. It’s a tough lesson learned. But, hopefully, Peter Thomas will receive a few kites while he’s in the belly of the beast.
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