Dragon's Den reopens following seizure

Dragon’s Den in the Poughkeepsie Plaza reopened Friday after it was seized by the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance on April 12 due to its failure to settle 18 open tax warrants totalling $177,609.84.

Management from the Town of Poughkeepsie comics and hobby store didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment Friday.

James Gazelle, a taxation and finance spokesperson, said in an earlier Journal article that the state will seize a business after it makes repeated attempts to resolve the debt that go “unpaid or ignored.” The department is in contact with the business “long before” the seizure, he said, and also works with them afterward.

WORKING: Dragon's Den working to re-open following seizure

VIDEO: Resolution 'on the horizon' following Dragon's Den seizure

SEIZURE: Dragon's Den in Poughkeepsie seized by state

“We continue to communicate with the business owner in the hopes of resolving the debt and giving them the keys back,” he said.

The 18 open tax warrants were issued in response to debt in three areas, Gazelle said: Nine were for withholding tax, eight were for sales tax and one was for corporate tax. The warrants hold liabilities from 2007 to 2017.

Dragon’s Den owner David Steltenkamp said in an April 13 Journal article that a resolution to the seizure was “on the horizon” and he wanted to pay his taxes.

“If we can agree on a payment plan,” he said, “I’m all for it.”

The warrants stemmed from misfiled taxes, missed payments, errors made by a former accountant and “bad advice” from a tax law firm, Steltenkamp said.

The store first opened in 1993, according to Journal archives. It sells comic books, collectibles, video games and other merchandise, as well as hosts events like game night.

The business opened at 4:30 p.m. Friday and was scheduled to stay open until 9:30 p.m.

Jack Howland: jhowland@poughkeepsiejournal.com, 845-437-4870, Twitter: @jhowl04