The man behind a planned Taco Habitat in Branson, which never opened, has pleaded guilty to federal charges related to a $14 million wire fraud conspiracy and could be spending four decades in prison.
John Michael Felts, who was known best for Springfield restaurants Hot Cluckers, Taco Habitat, and Bourbon & Beale, made his plea in federal court in Springfield on Friday, July 28. He pleaded guilty to wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud related to his using various companies to make fraudulent applications for $13,925,534 in loans during the COVID-19 pandemic.