The Soup Nazi's business partner is in hot bisque with the government.
Federal prosecutors unsealed a 20-count indictment Tuesday against Robert Bertrand, the chief financial officer of Soupman Inc, for allegedly failing to pay a variety of federal taxes for the company.
Bertrand allegedly paid some employees in cash and stock from 2010 to 2014 but did not report those payments to the government, even after being told to do so by outside auditors. Prosecutors say the government lost out on nearly $600,000 in taxes as a result.
Bertrand faces a maximum five years in prison. He did not immediately return an email seeking comment.
The company issued a statement late Tuesday saying he had been suspended and that it had launched an internal investigation.
"Moreover, we expect that this news will not make it easier for us to raise the capital we need to remain in business," CEO Jamieson Karson said.
Soupman licenses the recipes of Al Yeganeh, the Manhattan restaurateur made famous as the so-called Soup Nazi by a "Seinfeld" episode that parodied him and his Midtown restaurant.
Local
Yeganeh is not an executive of the company, but receives licensing fees from it, owns an interest in its franchising business and is listed on the "Our Team" page of the company's website, which makes heavy use of his likeness.
