Former Wilmington restaurant owner arrested and charged with embezzlement

Allison Ballard, Wilmington StarNews
·1 min read
FuWangz at 2105 Carolina Beach Road in Wilmington, N.C. closed in May 2023. STARNEWS FILE PHOTO
FuWangz at 2105 Carolina Beach Road in Wilmington, N.C. closed in May 2023. STARNEWS FILE PHOTO

A Wilmington restaurateur was arrested Thursday on felony tax charges filed by the North Carolina Department of Revenue, according to a press release. Marteke Latwuan Franks, 48, of Sneads Ferry, is the owner of the former FuWangz restaurant located on Carolina Beach Road.

Franks was charged with five counts of embezzlement of state property. Indictments allege that Franks aided and abetted the business to embezzle almost $80,000 in state taxes from May 2016 through September 2020.

Franks appeared before a Wake County magistrate and was placed under a $25,000 secured bond. On Feb. 19, Franks is scheduled to appear in Wake County Superior Court in Raleigh.

FuWangz closed in May 2023 at 2105 Carolina Beach Road in Wilmington. After the closure, a former manager at the restaurant, James Lewis, reopened the eatery as Smokin Jimmies Chicken & Seafood. 

Allison Ballard is the food and dining reporter at the StarNews. You can reach her at aballard@gannett.com. 

This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: FuWangz restaurant owner arrested on felony tax charges