Former Napoli’s Owner Sued, Accused of Over $100K in Theft

SAN ANGELO, TX — Former Napoli’s Italian Restaurant owner Bekim Zeka is being sued and accused of stealing more than $100,000 in cash and property from his former business partners.

The lawsuit alleges that Egzon Shala and Ismet Shala entered into an agreement with Zeka in August 2018 to open and run a restaurant at 421 S. Chadbourne St.

Egzon Shala fully equipped the restaurant’s kitchen at a cost of approximately $80,000, the lawsuit states.

By October of the same year, however, Zeka reportedly had the Shalas removed from the property by making a “false report” to police, the lawsuit alleged.

Afterward, the Shalas stated Zeka refused to permit them from returning to the property, refused to share net profits from the business, failed to keep them apprised of the business affairs related to the restaurant, and failed to keep current with reports and payments to the Texas Workforce Commission, which caused the business to go into default.

The lawsuit also alleges that on the same day Zeka ousted the Shalas from the restaurant property, he emptied the company’s operating account of about $20,000 and broke into a lockbox containing about $15,000 in cash belonging to Egzon Shala.

In February 2019, Zeka then set up a new limited liability company called Nesa Group, LLC, which excluded the Shalas “from the business they started together along with all of the labor, money and personal property invested by the plaintiffs.”

Napoli’s relocated to the former Zentner’s Daughter building at 1901 Knickerbocker Road in 2020 before shutting down in April of this year.

Zeka also opened Lily’s Pizza at 2424 Vanderventer Ave. before selling it in 2020.

Zeka was previously in legal trouble in 2019 when he was arrested for allegedly forging another man’s signature and initials on a 2018 lease agreement.

A pre-trial hearing for the lawsuit will be held at 9 a.m. Friday at the 119th District Court, 112 W. Beauregard Ave.