Was Mario Luna Arrested for Writing Bad Checks?

While you were busy getting your Carnival glue guns out of storage this week, Mario E. Luna, owner of the former Aux Folies Riverluna was supposedly arrested on charges of writing $5,000 in bad checks. Commenters over at the Best of New Orleans blogosphere have been going off on Luna's refusal to pay bills or respond to invoices since around Christmas time 2011. Even when Eater reported the move from Aux Folies Riverluna on Maple to the short lived Magazine location in the LGD in spring 2012 (perhaps to escape paying bills?), commenters were "hoping" he'd pay his workers and contractors.

On January 14, 2013, this comment appeared on the Best of New Orleans/Gambit website:

A call to the sheriff's office confirms that one Mario E. Luna was in fact released from jail on January 15, 2013 at 11:35 p.m., and that the charges were for writing worthless checks, no monetary amount given. And again, Mario E. Luna is in no way associated with Cafe Luna. Or, as a tipster says, "this guy doesn't have anything to do with Cafe Luna on Magazine and Nashville, which has been run perfectly legitimately for many years by Ernesto Montano and Sara Mayeux." An email to Luna has not been returned at this time. Word on the street is he also deactivated his Facebook account.

If you know anything about Mario E. Luna's charges, please contact our tip line or leave a comment below. As always, tipsters remain anonymous and are greatly appreciated.

· Aux Folies Riverluna [Gambit]
· All Crime Wire Coverage [-ENOLA-]

[Photo: Modern Cajun]