BY CRAIG FREILICH
North Country This Week

The Jreck Subs parent company’s assets, its brand name and logo are to be auctioned off following a ruling in federal court, but six franchise stores in St. Lawrence County are not part of the auction order.

The brand has been tied up in legalities since the former owner, Christopher Swartz, ran into trouble that resulted in a conviction and a 12 1/2 year jail sentence for tax evasion and investor fraud.

The six stores in St. Lawrence County -- two in Ogdensburg and one each in Canton, Potsdam, Massena and Gouverneur -- are franchises which, along with a shop in Malone, are privately owned.

Joseph E Sullivan & Sons Inc. in Ogdensburg owns the franchises at Ford Street in Ogdensburg, Canton, Potsdam and Malone. Sullivan had owned the stores in Ogdensburg in the Twin Bridges Convenience Store on Main Street, which he sold to his son Martin, and Gouverneur, which he sold to his son-in-law. The Massena store is owned by Jeffrey Michael Skelly of Ogdensburg.

Over a decade, Swartz bilked investors out of more than $19 million and engaged in evasion of $4 million in taxes, according to a decision in federal court in Utica in 2017. Swartz was ordered to forfeit his stake in the company.

The U.S. Marshals Service will hold the auction at a date to be announced.

Jreck is one of the largest and popular New York State-based submarine sandwich chains with franchises amounting to a total of about 45 stores in central and northern New York.

The food and restaurant entities and companies Swartz used to fraudulently issue promissory notes and stock included Jreck Subs, North Country Hospitality, Ultimate Franchise Systems, Caffino Live Roast, Madeline Ventures, Grace Ventures and Obees.