Owner of Siro de Saratoga restaurant accused of counterfeiting

SARATOGA SPRINGS

An owner of the city’s famous Siro restaurant, near Saratoga Racecourse, was arrested for falsifying paperwork in an attempt to obtain a permit from the city to open the restaurant last summer, police said. the city.

Scott R. Solomon, 35, of Cohoes, surrendered Thursday to face an arrest warrant, police said. He was released on his own accord.

Solomon faces two counts of second degree infringement, one involving an official document and the other involving legal documents such as contracts, two counts of second degree possession of a counterfeit instrument and two counts of first degree offering a false instrument of deposit. All of them are crimes that could result in a state prison sentence.

Police said they opened an investigation in August because there were concerns over paperwork Solomon had filed with the city in an attempt to obtain a permit needed to open Siro’s, which is traditionally only open. than every year during the few weeks of the thoroughbred racing season. . The permit has not been issued.

The restaurant at 168 Lincoln Ave., well known for its rich and famous patrons, live music, and post-race nightlife, never opened in 2020, when the pandemic prevented fans from attending the races. . Owners and coaches who would otherwise have frequented Siro were in town, however, but city officials ordered it closed after reporting it was either open or hosted private events despite not having his driving licence.

Police said the forged documents included insurance documents and a license from the state liquor authority. Police investigators worked with city officials, the liquor board and other entities, which led to the decision to file a complaint, they said.

“The investigation revealed that both documents were indeed fraudulent in nature and the allegation is that Solomon was aware of this fact when he filed them with the town of Saratoga Springs,” police said in a statement from press Friday.

Solomon was involved with the Pig ‘N Whistle restaurant which was briefly opened on Broadway as well as with Siro’s. He bought Siro’s for $ 1.2 million from Racing Restaurants of America, whose partners had included “Entourage” actor Kevin Dillon, in 2019.

This week’s arrest is the latest issue for Solomon, who last September was arrested by state police after an investigation into the embezzlement of campaign money by Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan, whom he was an assistant. He faces several counts of grand theft and possession of a counterfeit instrument in this case.

Police charged Solomon with fraudulently using multiple bank accounts associated with Sheehan’s campaign and creating a fake bill for the campaign payment.

The Times Union cited depositions from Sheehan and his chief of staff, David Galin, alleging that Solomon abused a campaign credit card to make nearly $ 22,000 in personal purchases.

Solomon also faced criminal theft charges earlier this year for allegedly writing thousands of dollars in bad checks. In that case, also brought by state police, Solomon was accused of writing checks totaling over $ 54,000 that he knew was not covered by sufficient funds.