Brian Michael Flore
Brian Michael Flore
The upside of being on a reality show like "Bar Rescue" on SPIKE TV is that it can generate a lot of attention, which can translate into increased sales.
The downside of all that attention is when you get in trouble, the media takes notice. The mission of the show is to save failing bars.
Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette announced that Brian Michael Flore, 43, of Brighton, who was featured on Bar Rescue last November, was sentenced Wednesday in Ingham County Circuit Court to two to five years in prison and ordered to pay $1.5 million restitution, more than double the $700,000-plus in sales tax he collected for 10 years from customers at his downtown Ann Arbor sports bar, “The Arena,” and pocketed.
Flore originally pleaded guilty to the tax charges on July 22, 2015.
But his 11-month sentence was delayed to give him time to pay his past due and his current sales tax obligations, according to the Attorney General's Office.
Flore failed to meet his obligation, so he was sentenced on Wednesday, receiving two to five years in prison on each of the 120 counts, which will be served concurrently.
