Threats to Golden Krust Empire Likely Behind Suicide

Threats to Golden Krust Empire Likely Behind Suicide
by David Greene

A mounting tax dept and an impending lawsuit brought on by former employees is the likely cause for the unexpected suicide of the founder of the popular Golden Krust restaurant chain.

Police and paramedics were called to the companies main plant located at Park Avenue and East 173 Street in the Claremont section, where the chain’s CEO Lowell Hawthorne, 57, died from a single gunshot to the head. Police confirmed that a suicide note was found at the scene.

Reporters interview a worker of Golden Crust after suicide of founder and CEO Lowell Hawthorne, 57.–Photo by Edwin Soto

Hawthorne immigrated from St. Andrew, Jamaica and arrived in the Bronx in May, 1981. He worked at a civilian job with the NYPD until 1989, when he stated the bakery with siblings. Hawthorne had returned to night school and earned his BA in business and accounting from Herbert H. Lehman College in 2016.

Hawthorne also wrote a book on his life and appeared in an episode of “Undercover Boss.”

But despite being worth a reported $500 million, Hawthorne reportedly owed more that $150,000 in overdue taxes and according to one published claim, was being investigated by the Internal Revenue Service, as well as being named in an pending lawsuit in Manhattan Federal Court, where a former employee charges that he and more than 100 other worker’s were never paid overtime for more than a decade.

Worker’s left flowers and a candle after the death of Golden Crust founder Lowell Hawthorne.–Photo by Edwin Soto

A funeral is expected to be held for Hawthorne at the Christian Cultural Center in Brooklyn on December 19.

Golden Crust currently has 120 stores in nine states.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email