Mills Restaurant Owner Gets Two Years Probation for Tax Evasion

The owner of a popular Mills restaurant was sentenced to two years of probation for income tax evasion on Tuesday, according federal court records.

Debbie Ridgley, owner of G-Ma's Diner, 4755 W. Yellowstone Hwy., also must pay a $100 special assessment, a $5,500 fine, $118,876 in restitution, and perform 40 hours of community service, according to the minutes of the sentence handed down by U.S. District Court Judge Alan Johnson in Cheyenne.

Punishment for this type of tax evasion could have been up to five years imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and three years of supervised release, according to the criminal information document filed by federal prosecutors on Sept. 1.

Ridgley evaded paying income taxes from Jan. 1, 2017, and April 17, 2018, according to the criminal information.

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She skimmed cash and tips from the income of her business, falsified business records to falsely state the business's income, and prepared false and fraudulent individual income tax returns, according to the criminal information document.

Ridgley pleaded guilty on Sept. 15, and remained free on a $10,000 unsecured bond.

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