Ex-Tick Tock Diner Boss Indicted on Attempted Murder Charges

The former manager of the landmark Tick Tock Diner in Clifton was indicted today by a state grand jury on charges that he attempted to hire a hit man to murder his uncle, Acting Attorney General John J. Hoffman announced Wednesday. 

Officials obtained an indictment charging Georgios Spyropoulos, 45, of Clifton, with conspiracy to commit murder, attempted murder, attempted robbery, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, unlawful possession of a weapon, and unlawful transfer of a weapon.

New Jersey State Police foiled the alleged murder plot and arrested Spyropoulos in April.

Spyropoulos allegedly attempted to hire a hit man to kill his uncle by marriage, Alexandro Sgourdos, 57, of Clifton, who manages the Tick Tock Diner in Manhattan, and is a co-owner of that diner as well as the diner on Route 3 in Clifton. Spyropoulos allegedly resented the extent to which the uncle controlled and profited from the two family-owned diners, the acting attorney general wrote in a release Wednesday.

Officials allege that Spyropoulos wanted to increase his own role in the ownership and management of the Tick Tock Diner in Clifton and wanted a hit man to torture or threaten the uncle to obtain the combination to the safe at the diner in Manhattan, so Spyropoulos could steal the large sum of cash he believed his uncle kept there.  

The plot unraveled when Spyropoulos sought out an assassin who ended up being an informant for the State Police. The informant alerted the state police, who arranged for an undercover detective to pose as the hit man, according to Hoffman.

“The New Jersey State Police prevented a case of bad blood within a family business from turning into a case of cold-blooded murder,” said Hoffman. “If there had not been a state police informant and an undercover detective positioned to foil this murder plot, the result would have been tragic, because Spyropoulos allegedly took every step necessary to hire and equip men he believed would brutally murder his uncle and steal his money.”

“This was not just a case of Spyropoulos having a bad day and making idle threats,” said Director Elie Honig of the Division of Criminal Justice. “We allege that Spyropoulos took concrete steps to execute a plan to rob and murder his own uncle. With this indictment, we will make certain that he faces justice for his conduct.” 

“We are proud of the critical role that our undercover detective played in preventing this planned murder,” said Colonel Rick Fuentes, Superintendent of the New Jersey State Police. “The state police are constantly developing confidential sources and information that we use to protect the public.”

Supervising Deputy Attorney General Lauren Scarpa Yfantis, Chief of the Gangs & Organized Crime Bureau, and Deputy Attorney General Annmarie Taggart, Deputy Bureau Chief, presented the indictment to the state grand jury for the Division of Criminal Justice. The investigation was led by State Police Detective Sergeant Peter Layng of the Drug Trafficking North Unit.

The first-degree charges carry a sentence of 10 to 20 years in state prison and a fine of up to $200,000. Second-degree crimes carry a sentence of five to 10 years in state prison and a fine of up to $150,000, while fourth-degree crimes carry a sentence of up to 18 months in state prison and a fine of up to $10,000.

The indictment was handed up to Superior Court Judge Mary C. Jacobson in Mercer County, who assigned the case to Passaic County, where the defendant will be ordered to appear in court at a later date for arraignment. The arraignment has not been scheduled at this time, officials with the AG’s office said Wednesday.