Former Henderson Business Owner Charged with Sales Tax Evasion and Theft
Released on Thu, Jul 09, 2009 - 12:43 pm under
HENDERSON, Tenn. - The Tennessee Department of Revenue’s Special Investigations Section conducted the investigation that led to the arrest of Naser A. Amro, age 34. Amro is the former co-owner of N&S Market and Deli, Inc., located at 245 West Main & Church in Henderson. Amro was arrested by deputies of the Chester County Sheriff’s Office at the Memphis International Airport after he arrived on an international flight from Toronto, Canada and was detained by officials with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
“When sales tax is collected from the public and not remitted, it is a breach of the public trust,” said Commissioner Reagan Farr. “The Department of Revenue aggressively pursues criminal sanctions and demands accountability for such actions.”
Amro was indicted on one count of Sales Tax Evasion in violation of Tenn. Code Ann. Section 67-1-1440(g), a Class E felony, and one count of Theft of Property over $10,000 in violation of Tenn. Code Ann. Section 39-14-103, a Class C felony. The indictments allege Amro filed false and fraudulent sales tax returns with the Department of Revenue from March 2004 through June 2005 with the intent to evade paying $14,558.47 in sales tax. Amro faces the same charges for a second market he operated in Bolivar. In that case, the complaint alleges Amro filed false and fraudulent sales tax returns during the same period with the intent to evade paying $25,926.85 in sales tax. If convicted of the Class E felonies, Amro could be sentenced to a maximum of two years in the state penitentiary and fined up to $3,000. The Class C felonies carry a maximum sentence of six years and a fine of $10,000. Once the criminal case concludes, additional civil taxes, penalties and interest will be due the state.
This case was pursued criminally by the department in cooperation with District Attorney Generals James G. Woodall’s and Mike Dunavant’s offices. Citizens who suspect violations of Tennessee's revenue laws should call the toll-free tax fraud hot line at (800) FRAUDTX (372-8389).
The Department of Revenue is responsible for the administration of state tax laws and motor vehicle title and registration laws established by the legislature and the collection of taxes and fees associated with those laws. The Department of Revenue collects approximately 92 percent of total state tax revenue. During the 2007-2008 fiscal year, the department collected $11.2 billion in state taxes and fees. In addition to collecting state taxes, $1.9 billion of local sales tax was collected by the department for local governments during the 2007-2008 fiscal year. Besides collecting taxes, the department enforces the revenue laws fairly and impartially in an effort to encourage voluntary taxpayer compliance. The department also apportions revenue collections for distribution to the various state funds and local units of government. To learn more about the department, log on to www.TN.gov/revenue.
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