by Selena Hill
Could 5, 2026
The State of Georgia has indicted the previous Bar Vegan CFO Aaron Mattison for allegedly stealing greater than $87,000 from the corporate
The previous chief monetary officer of famend restaurateur and Slutty Vegan founder Aisha “Pinky” Cole Hayes is dealing with prison costs in Georgia involving her now-closed restaurant, Bar Vegan.
In accordance with courtroom filings lately obtained by The Neighborhood Discuss, Cole’s former CFO, Aaron Mattison, was indicted in August on a number of counts, together with theft by taking, first-degree forgery, and cash laundering. Prosecutors allege Mattison orchestrated a sequence of unauthorized monetary transactions whereas overseeing the corporate’s funds between 2021 and 2022.
Authorities declare Mattison created fraudulent monetary paperwork that seemed to be permitted by Bar Vegan, which he then used to execute an $87,300 wire switch for private acquire. As well as, prosecutors allege he withdrew firm funds in repeated $600 increments—totaling greater than $24,999—over a number of months and moved the cash by means of a number of accounts in what investigators describe as a laundering scheme.
Mattison’s indictment comes years after Bar Vegan confronted a lawsuit in July 2022 from a former worker alleging unpaid minimal wages, extra time violations, and withheld suggestions. The case was settled in early 2023 for tens of 1000’s of {dollars}.
Bar Vegan, an Atlanta-based restaurant that was as soon as a part of Cole Hayes’ plant-based empire, formally closed its doorways on Could 5, 2025. With Mattison now dealing with potential jail time, the case raises ongoing questions on monetary oversight, accountability, and the pressures of fast entrepreneurial development.
Cole Hayes has not been charged in reference to Mattison’s indictment. She beforehand denied deliberately withholding wages, citing operational challenges tied to fast enterprise enlargement on the time.
The developments additionally come after Cole filed for Chapter 11 chapter in March 2026, citing liabilities estimated between $1.3 million and $1.4 million.
