Former "RHOA" star sentenced for tax crime involving Baltimore, Miami, Charlotte businesses

BALTIMORE -- Former "Real Housewives of Atlanta" star and businessman Peter Thomas was sentenced to a year and a half in prison for failing to pay over $2.5 million in employment taxes for businesses in Baltimore, Charlotte and Miami, according to the North Carolina U.S. Attorney's Office.

Thomas, 63, was the owner of Club One CLT, LLC, Sports ONE, Inc., Sports ONE CLT LLC, and PT Media, LLC which operated sports-themed restaurant and bars in Charlotte, North Carolina, according to court documents.

He also owned several bars in Baltimore, Maryland and Miami, Florida, including Bar One Baltimore and Bar One Miami Beach.

Thomas is known for appearances on "The Real Housewives of Atlanta" alongside his ex-wife Cynthia Bailey. In 2023, he was found not guilty of attacking a customer at his Harbor East restaurant, The Baltimore Banner previously reported.

According to court records, Thomas controlled the financial and business affairs for the Charlotte locations and was responsible for collecting trust fund taxes and accounting for employment taxes by filing forms with the IRS and paying employment taxes.

Between 2017 and 2022, Thomas caused the Charlotte businesses to collect more than $640,000 in trust fund taxes from the wages of their employees, but he did not pay the taxes to the IRS, according to court documents.

Court documents showed that between 2021 and 2023, Thomas caused Bar One Baltimore and Bar One Miami Beach to collect more than $1.1 million in trust fund taxes from employee wages, but again, Thomas did not pay the IRS.

In total, between 2017 and 2023, Thomas' businesses failed to pay more than $2.5 million in employment taxes, including more than $1.7 million in trust fund taxes from wages, according to court documents.

Instead of paying the trust fund taxes that were due on behalf of the Charlotte businesses, Thomas used the trust fund taxes for other purposes, including making more than $2.5 million in cash withdrawals, $370,000 for travel and real estate purchases, and more than $250,000 in retail purchases from luxury stores, court documents show.

Thomas also transferred more than $2.9 million between the Baltimore, Charlotte and Miami businesses.

He pleaded guilty in July 2024, court officials said. After his 18-month sentence, Thomas will serve two years of probation. He has also been ordered to pay $2.5 million in restitution to the IRS.