Happy's Pizza founder convicted of tax crimes

DETROIT (AP) - A jury says the founder of Michigan-based Happy's Pizza was withholding too much dough from the IRS. Happy Asker was convicted last Wednesday of conspiracy and tax crimes in a scheme to conceal millions of dollars in income from the pizza chain. The government says a portion of the unreported income was shared among franchise owners. The Internal Revenue Service says more than $6 million in taxes are owed. Chief operating officer Maher Bashi pleaded guilty in Detroit federal court a few weeks before trial. Asker's attorney declined to comment last Thursday. Asker had dismissed the allegations as "baseless" when he was indicted in 2013. He'll get his sentence on March 5. The Farmington Hills-based pizza company says it has 100 locations in Michigan and other states. Published: Mon, Nov 24, 2014