The owner of a restaurant is accused of failing to pay more than a million dollars in taxes, four Seattle teenagers will remain in custody for a string of crimes in Portland, and the chubby raccoon Jimothy with a rare syndrome has conquered the internet.
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Owner of popular Seattle restaurant accused of failing to pay more than $1 million in taxes
A criminal case has been filed in U.S. federal court against the former owner and operator of Single Shot Kitchen and Saloon, located in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood. Ruadhri McCormick is accused of intentionally failing to remit to the tax authorities money withheld from employees’ pay over a period of 10 years. The amount is more than one million dollars.
The crux of the charge is that the restaurant owner, according to prosecutors, systematically violated tax laws. According to documents filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, McCormick was the sole manager of Single Shot LLC, controlled the restaurant’s bank accounts, handled hiring, and created work schedules. It was he who made the key decisions related to paying wages and taxes.
The period of alleged violations spans nearly 10 years—from the fourth quarter of 2014 through the third quarter of 2024. During that time, prosecutors say, federal income taxes were withheld from employees’ wages, as well as contributions to the Medicare and Social Security trust funds—key components of the U.S. social insurance system. Medicare provides health insurance for people over 65 and certain categories of disabled individuals, while Social Security pays retirement benefits and other assistance. Employers are required not only to withhold these funds from employees’ pay, but also to remit them to the government on time.
Prosecutors allege that McCormick did not do so. The amount of unpaid withheld taxes is at least $1,027,362. In addition, the restaurant allegedly failed to pay another $418,979 in taxes that the employer is required to contribute from its own funds. As a result, the total debt to the state could exceed $1.4 million.
Notably, according to the charging documents, the restaurant effectively failed to file required quarterly tax returns on IRS Form 941 throughout the entire period. Form 941 is a quarterly report employers file with the U.S. Internal Revenue Service to report payroll taxes withheld from wages, including income tax and Federal Insurance Contributions Act taxes. The absence of these returns seriously impairs enforcement of tax compliance.
The charges include one episode that serves as the basis for the criminal prosecution: prosecutors allege that around January 31, 2023, McCormick intentionally failed to report and remit taxes for the quarter ending December 31, 2022. The case is formally brought on a single count—willful failure to pay taxes. Use of the so-called felony information, a charging document typically filed when the prosecutor and defense are already negotiating a plea agreement, may indicate a possible deal with investigators.
Single Shot’s history began in 2014, and the venue quickly became popular by serving American and Pacific-style cuisine. Now, the restaurant’s reputation—and that of its former owner—is under serious threat. Cases like this highlight how seriously federal authorities treat tax nonpayment, especially when the funds are directly withheld from workers’ wages. This is not just a financial mistake, but a deliberate violation of the law that can result not only in major fines, but also in jail time. Details of the case, including possible defense arguments, remain unknown for now, and under the presumption of innocence, McCormick is considered not guilty until convicted by a court. As reported by KOMO News, the investigation is ongoing.
Seattle teens accused in a crime spree will remain in custody
On Monday, the juvenile court judge refused to release four teenagers from the Seattle area who were arrested on Saturday, accused of a criminal spree in Portland that ended in the shooting of an employee at a gas station. The teenagers, ages 15 to 17, are alleged to have stolen a car from a taxi driver, tried to break into a parked vehicle, and threatened the owner when he came out of his home. They then robbed one gas station, unsuccessfully attempted to rob another, and later carried out an armed attack on Station 76 in the northeast part of Broadway, where the shootings took place. The employee, who was hit by four bullets in the stomach and one in the leg, survived, though the extent of his injuries is not yet known. At the hearing, neither the victims nor their families spoke, but relatives of the detained teenagers asked the court to consider releasing the teens into family or friend supervision in Portland. Police noted that the Seattle teens had connections to the area, and that one of them had been in the city before. Sergeant Matt Jacobson, who is leading the investigation, told reporters that, in his view, it is wrong to claim that the young people came to Portland specifically to commit crimes: “They had ties to the area, and the crimes happened while they were here.”
It is notable that if similar acts had been committed by teens in the state of Washington, they could face harsher sentences. While Oregon in 2018 ended the automatic transfer of juvenile cases to adult court for serious violent crimes, Washington kept this practice. In Oregon today, automatic transfer is possible only for 16- and 17-year-olds accused of first-degree murder, first-degree manslaughter, first-degree child rape, kidnapping, or first-degree assault. Prosecutors can still request a transfer to adult court, but according to Multnomah County District Attorney Nathan Vasquez, since the reform no such motion has been granted through a court ruling—every transfer case has resulted from plea agreements made before trial. This shows how differently juvenile justice can be handled in neighboring states, raising the question: would the teens have received tougher punishment if their crimes were investigated in Washington? For now, they remain in custody, and the investigation continues. As reported by KATU, the case fits into a broader pattern of tougher efforts to combat gun violence among minors in Portland: as part of a single operation, 11 teenagers were taken into custody. The key takeaway from the analysis is that differences in state law may affect the defendants’ fate, but a final decision has not yet been made. Fortunately, the gas station employee survived.
Jimothy: Seattle’s chubby raccoon that conquered the internet
Internet attention is focused on an unusual raccoon named Jimothy, who has become a real celebrity in Seattle and beyond. This chubby animal with a distinctive round body shape was spotted in the Ballard neighborhood in the past few weeks, and its appearance sparked an outpouring of excitement among local residents and social media users. As KOMO reports in its article, Jimothy’s unusual look is explained by a rare condition—short spine syndrome. This condition means the animal’s spine is abnormally shortened, giving the body a rounded, almost spherical shape. For those unfamiliar with the term: short spine syndrome is a congenital condition in which the number of vertebrae—or their length—is less than normal, causing the animal’s body to appear compact and dense. In raccoons, this is extremely rare, and Jimothy is likely the only known representative of his species with this trait.
Instagram users, in particular the accounts c1vrg1r and jimothytheraccoon, are actively sharing photos and videos of the raccoon, who, despite his condition, leads an active life: he roams the streets, explores trash bins, and even poses for selfies with passersby. According to the outlet, this has led to a real tourism boom in Ballard—people are coming to the area specifically hoping to see Jimothy in person. Local residents note that raccoons used to be commonplace here, but this particular animal has become the symbol of summer 2023, drawing attention not only from city residents but also from the Seattle Mariners, which, KOMO reports, used Jimothy’s image in its promotional materials.
Interestingly, Jimothy’s story inspires mixed feelings. On the one hand, it’s a touching example of how an animal with a rare illness can become beloved by the public, with its image reproduced in fan art and memes. On the other hand, experts warn that excessive attention can harm the raccoon. Short spine syndrome is not considered fatal, but it can affect mobility and overall health. If Jimothy gets used to people and stops being afraid of them, it could make him vulnerable to dogs, cars, and other dangers. Seattle authorities have not yet commented on the situation, but on social media there are already calls not to feed the raccoon and not to chase him.
The main takeaway from this story is how one unusual animal can bring people together—and even influence local tourism. Jimothy is not just a viral meme, but also a reminder that wildlife can surprise us, even when it lives right next door. How long his fame will last remains to be seen, but for now it’s clear that the chubby raccoon from Ballard has firmly secured a place in the internet story of 2023.
