Photo by Arielinha

Nick Cho, former owner of Murky Coffee, has been charged with 82 counts of tax fraud, according to the D.C. Office of Tax and Revenue. Cho formally turned himself in this morning after being charged by the Attorney General’s office in connection with his failure to file monthly sales tax returns for his Capitol Hill coffeeshop during the period of December 20, 2004, to January 31, 2008, in addition to failing to file unincorporated franchise taxes for tax years 2006 and 2007.

Regular readers will remember that Cho’s tax woes forced him to close first his D.C. location last year and then his Clarendon store as well earlier this year. He has since taken on some managerial duties for the recently opened Chinatown Coffee Company. Cho is also semi-famous for having publicly threatened to punch one of his customers in his dick after the customer complained that Murky wouldn’t serve him an iced espresso.

According to OTR, if he’s found guilty on each charge, Cho could face up to 180 days in jail and fines of $5,000, plus full restitution and court costs.

UPDATE: Over at City Desk, Jason Cherkis finds evidence that Cho is having some trouble finding a defense attorney, and that his gig at Chinatown Coffee is actually temporary and soon coming to an end.