Famed restaurateur charged with illegally obtaining citizenship.

A popular Bay Area restaurateur is accused of falsifying documents in his citizenship application

“People along the way supposedly tried to help him and actually, from what we can tell, misled him in certain respects.” — Jeffrey Bornstein, Senghor’s attorney

Marco Senghor immigrated to the U.S. three decades ago to escape the shadow of famous relatives in Senegal and start a legacy of his own.

That vision would lead him to San Francisco’s Mission district, where he opened Bissap Baobab, a beloved West African eatery and dance club known for its authentic Senegalese food and vibrant dance scene.

Now, the popular restaurateur faces charges of illegally obtaining his U.S. citizenship, and the future of his restaurant remains unclear.

Senghor announced the charges on his Facebook page Tuesday and has pleaded not guilty to making false statements in his 2009 naturalization application, a felony that could carry a 10-year prison sentence, according to court documents.

“I’ve hired a top defense attorney to represent me and I look forward to my day in

court,” Senghor said in a Facebook post. “The future of the Bissap Baobab Village that we have built together is uncertain, but I am dedicated to preserving it.”

Senghor also runs a Bissap Baobab in Oakland. A woman at the location on 15th Street who was painting a back wall Wednesday said there are “changes” coming to both locations, which have been in the works for about a week or so.

The woman, who didn’t

want to be identified, said there used to be a lunchtime buffet at the Oakland restaurant but that they started having problems with it about a month ago, so they cut back and decided to focus on dinner time, she said.

Jeffrey Bornstein, Senghor’s attorney, said Wednesday that his client “was taken advantage of and received bad advice from people along the way” but declined to elaborate or comment further on the charges.

“He’s a really well-respected part of our community and he’s unfortunately gotten caught up in this,” he said.

“People along the way supposedly tried to help him and actually, from what we can tell, misled him in certain respects.”

Court records show attorneys are negotiating terms for Senghor to make a potential trip to Senegal to visit family, so long as he posts bond to secure his return. His next court date is in September.

Senghor, who couldn’t be reached for comment Wednesday, is the son of a former diplomat who was once the boss of Kofi Annan and is related to Leopold Senghor, a renowned poet and former president of Senegal.