Il Mito restaurant owner sentenced in tax case

The chef and owner of Il Mito restaurant in Wauwatosa was sentenced Friday to four months in a halfway house and four months home confinement for filing false tax returns and structuring bank transactions.

Michael Feker, formerly known as Mohammad Daghighfekr, entered a guilty plea to the two felony counts in June. U.S. District Judge Lynn Adelman also levied a $2,000 fine and 16 months probation after his confinement, according to a member of Adelman's staff.

Federal sentencing guidelines called for eight to 14 months in prison, according to the plea agreement. The prosecutor recommended a sentence of four months in prison and four months of home confinement, it says. Feker agreed to pay $37,000 prior to sentencing.

Feker has operated restaurants in Milwaukee for nearly a decade, including Il Mito when it was on W. Virginia St. and Los Mitos on N. Jefferson St.

He currently runs Il Mito Trattoria e Enoteca, 6913 W. North Ave., and the School of Culinary Magic next door.

According to the plea agreement, Feker underreported his income between 2001 and 2005, failing to pay taxes of between $12,500 and $30,000 during that time.