Casa Ramos Restaurants Raided In California Finance Investigation

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — The California Department of Justice raided 14 restaurants across Northern California as part of an investigation into the company's finances.

A spokesperson with the DOJ says the raid on 14 Casa Ramos restaurants was part of the TRaCE Task Force and would not comment further, citing an ongoing investigation.

The Tax Recover and Criminal Enforcement force was created in 2013 under Assembly Bill 576 in response to a reported annual $9 billion in uncollected corporate, personal, and sales and use taxes in the state. It's part of a pilot program that expires at the end of this year.

When it was first established, the team was made up of the Franchise Tax Board, the Department of Justice, the state Board of Equalization and the Employment Development Department.

The restaurant chain has 14 locations in California, stretching from Yreka in Siskiyou County to Sacramento. Many Casa Ramos locations expect to re-open on Thursday.

The raid prompted rumors online that it was a raid by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, but immigration was not a focus of the investigation.