**New Hanover Restaurant Operator Sentenced for Embezzling Nearly $80,000 in State Taxes**

**RALEIGH, N.C.** – A New Hanover County restaurant operator has pleaded guilty to multiple felony charges for embezzling nearly $80,000 in state tax revenue over a four-year period. Marteke Franks, who operated Fu Wangz on Carolina Beach Road, was sentenced to jail time and ordered to pay full restitution following an investigation by the North Carolina Department of Revenue.

According to information released by state authorities, Franks embezzled state tax receipts collected at the restaurant between May 1, 2016, and September 30, 2020. The investigation culminated in Franks’ arrest in February 2024 on five felony counts of embezzlement of state property.

In the judgment, Franks was ordered to serve 15 days in jail and must complete 75 hours of community service. Additionally, Franks was ordered to pay back the full amount of embezzled funds, totaling $79,894.22, to the North Carolina Department of Revenue.

Following the jail term, Franks will be subject to five years of supervised probation.