Report: Brownstone Inn Owner Sentenced to Six Months

The owner of Wyckoff's Brownstone Inn will spend six months in prison, NorthJersey.com reported Monday.

Aziz Kastrati, 55, who closed the restaurant in 2011, pleaded guilty in April to “structuring,” or depositing $655,665 into different bank accounts in $10,000 increments or less in order to avoid currency reporting requirements.

According to the report, U.S. District Judge Kevin McNulty sentenced Kastrati in Newark federal court Monday.

Kastrati, who also owned the Pastafino Restaurant in Allendale, admitted to making deposits below the $10K threshold at which banks are required to file transaction reports with the treasury department, the report said.

When sentencing Kastrati, McNulty called the crime a serious one that impairs the government’s ability to manage cash flow, the report said. However, he offered a more lenient sentence after Kastrati’s attorney argued that he was a hardworking immigrant who fled Kosovo as a child and has been working ever since, ran highly-respected businesses, and was not likely to commit another crime, the report said.

Kastrati has also already surrendered over $650K to the government, the report said.

According to NorthJersey.com, which minimum-security prison he will be in and when his sentence will start have yet to be determined.

The fate of the Brownstone Inn remains unclear. The restaurant was in the news last month after a hit-and-run knocked down one of its columns. Officials said the accident would not hurt the structural integrity of the historic building.