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U.S. District Judge John J. Tharp, Jr. sentenced 60-year-old Evan Musikantow to two years in federal prison and ordered over $1 million in restitution for willfully failing to pay court-ordered child support for his two Chicago-area children.
A federal judge in Chicago has sentenced the 60-year-old son of an Applebee’s restaurant tycoon to two years in federal prison for willfully failing to pay over $1 million in court-ordered child support.
U.S. District Judge John J. Tharp, Jr. handed down the maximum statutory sentence to Evan Musikantow on Thursday, October 1, 2026.
Judge Tharp also ordered Musikantow to pay $1,092,561.80 in restitution to his ex-wife for their two children, who grew up in the Chicago area.
The sentence follows a federal jury conviction last year under the Deadbeat Parents Punishment Act, a rarely used federal law targeting parents who cross state lines to avoid court obligations.
According to federal prosecutors, Musikantow owed more than $1 million in back support and interest following his 2003 divorce in the Circuit Court of Cook County.
Between 2009 and 2017, Musikantow paid only $3,000 toward his obligation, with most of those funds seized involuntarily through state tax refund interceptions.
During sentencing, Judge Tharp reprimanded Musikantow after learning he bet $11,000 at a casino in 2014 without sending any winnings to his children.
The judge stated that Musikantow effectively abandoned his children after bringing them into the world, adding that he would have imposed more prison time if federal law permitted.
Musikantow’s legal issues began in Cook County court, where a judge found him in civil contempt in 2016 for flagrantly ignoring his financial duties.
Although a Cook County judge issued a six-month jail sentence at that time, Musikantow never served the local jail time because federal authorities took over the prosecution.
Musikantow was previously listed on Illinois’ former “Deadbeats Most Wanted List,” which publicly identified parents owing significant overdue support.
While living in Scottsdale, Arizona, Musikantow claimed indigent status and requested government-funded travel to Chicago for his sentencing hearing.
However, federal prosecutors pointed to financial records showing his household lived a lavish lifestyle, including a 2022 tax return listing $231,000 in gross income.
Prosecutors also highlighted a four-bedroom Scottsdale home purchased in 2023 for $660,000 and a luxury Mercedes vehicle bought the following year.
Defense attorneys argued that the Arizona property and luxury vehicle belonged exclusively to Musikantow’s second wife.
Musikantow addressed the court and offered an apology, stating that the lengthy criminal proceedings deeply humbled him.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Edward G. Kohler and Edward A. Liva, Jr. argued that Musikantow spent years dodging court orders while pursuing personal interests.
U.S. Marshals immediately took Musikantow into custody following the courtroom hearing to begin serving his federal sentence.
