THE PLOT THICKENS: Pinky Cole’s Former CFO Indicted for Theft & Forgery Amid Past Wage Scandal!
Media Take Out has the absolute “Receipts of the Century” as the drama surrounding Pinky Cole’s vegan empire just took a dark, criminal turn. While Pinky has been busy reclaiming her “Slutty Vegan” crown, her former business partner and CFO, Aaron Mattison, is facing a judge for allegedly treating the company bank account like his own personal piggy bank!
Media Take Out exclusively obtained the indictment, from over a year ago, which was signed by the foreperson of the grand jury and filed by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis.
The State of Georgia has officially indicted Mattison on heavy charges: Theft by Taking, Forgery in the First Degree, and Money Laundering. And honey, when you look at the dates, the math is finally starting to math for those suspicious fans!
The “Inside Job”: $87,000 and Unauthorized Wires
According to the bombshell indictment, prosecutors claim Mattison was orchestrating a high-level financial scheme right under Pinky Cole’s nose.
- The Forgery: Mattison is accused of creating unauthorized financial documents that looked like they were approved by Bar Vegan (the Ponce City Market hotspot).
- The Wire: Authorities allege he used those fake docs to pull off a massive $87,300 wire transfer for his own personal benefit.
- The “ATM” Strategy: Between September 2021 and June 2022, Mattison allegedly withdrew company funds in repeated $600 increments, totaling over $24,999. He then reportedly moved the cash through multiple accounts to cover his tracks.
The Timeline: Did He Steal the Employees’ Wages?
This is where it gets messy. Social media users are pointing out that Mattison’s alleged “theft spree” (2021–2022) overlaps exactly with the period when employees claimed their checks were short.
- July 2022: A former Bar Vegan employee sued Pinky, Mattison, and Jason Crain for unpaid minimum wages and withheld tips (alleging the “house” kept 25% of their money).
- The Settlement: The case was settled for roughly $62,000 plus fees in 2023, though reports as recent as April 2025 claimed the settlement still hadn’t been fully paid out.
- The Question: Was the money “missing” because the company was struggling, or because the CFO was allegedly siphoning it off into his own pockets?
Pinky Cole Breaks Her Silence
While Pinky has NOT been charged with any crime, she has been fighting to clear her name for years. She previously blamed “internal management challenges” during her rapid expansion for the payment mishaps.
In light of the indictment, the “integrity” Pinky always preached seems to have been undermined by the man she trusted with the books.
“I don’t play with people’s money,” Pinky famously wrote back in 2023. “God won’t bless you when you operate in a fraudulent spirit.”
The Fallout
With Bar Vegan officially closing its doors at Ponce City Market on May 5, 2025, and Mattison now facing serious prison time, the “Bar Vegan” era is ending in a courtroom rather than a kitchen.
Does this indictment prove that Pinky was “blindsided” by her CFO, is she still responsible for the “chaos” that left her workers unpaid, or is there MORE TO THIS STORY than meets the eye? Let us know in the comments!
BlkCosmo
