Nearly two years after Bar One falsified a surveillance video showing a minor enter with a fake I.D. to dodge charges, Bar One and the DeKalb Liquor Commission reached an agreement in fines, suspensions and change of ownership.

“I am glad to have this behind us so the liquor commission can focus on being more proactive in its regulating,” said DeKalb Mayor and Liquor Commissioner Frank Van Buer.

Van Buer signed an agreement made between Bar One’s attorney and DeKalb’s attorney giving the bar’s owners until April 15 to sell Bar One, 1000 W. Lincoln Highway. The owners also were charged with $45,000 in fines and a 15-day suspension upon the bar’s closing date.

Even though DeKalb Police Chief Bill Fiethen recommended the license be revoked, Van Buer said, the decision he made was in the best interest of the community.

“My job was to decide whether the negotiations between parties made sense for the community,” Van Buer said.

Revoking the liquor license may have opened doors for owners Jimmy and Joey Sanfilippo to remain in control of Bar One.

“The owner, the establishment and the city suffer consequences from a revocation,” said DeKalb City Clerk Donna Johnson. “Anything DeKalb does can be appealed to the Illinois Liquor Control Commission. It’s a long process and the establishment can stay open during it.”

Now that an agreement has been reached, the goal of getting new people running the business has been accomplished with little hassle, she said.

There is a local couple who submitted an application for Bar One’s liquor license, Johnson said. The couple has no previous connections with Bar One.

The Sanfilippos still face criminal charges for obstruction of justice, a class 4 felony punishable by up to three years in prison and $25,000 in fines.