Humphreys County Man Pleads Guilty to Sales Tax Evasion
Tuesday, June 15, 2010 | 09:53am
WAVERLY, Tenn. - The Special Investigations Section of the Tennessee Department of Revenue conducted the investigation that led to the guilty plea of Ronald F. Marker, age 68, on charges of sales tax evasion.
On Dec. 7, 2009, Marker was indicted by a Humphreys County Grand Jury on four Class E felony counts of Sales Tax Evasion in violation of Tenn. Code Ann. Section 67-1-1440(g) and four Class E felony counts of Hindering the Collection of State Revenue in violation of Tenn. Code Ann. Section 67-1-1440(d). The indictments charged that between April 11, 2008, and May 12, 2008, Marker submitted motor vehicle titles to the Humphreys County Clerk’s Office for four separate transactions where he intentionally falsified the sales prices of those vehicles. This led to the evasion of sales tax in the amount of $8,645.50.
On June 14, 2010, Marker plead guilty to two counts of sales tax evasion and was sentenced to two years in prison on each count. Pursuant to the plea agreement, Marker’s prison sentence was suspended and he will serve four years on probation and pay full restitution to the state of Tennessee. He is currently in the Dickson County jail on unrelated charges.
“The Department of Revenue promotes voluntary taxpayer compliance by educating taxpayers, aggressively pursuing criminal sanctions, and demanding accountability when taxpayers engage in fraudulent activity," said Revenue Commissioner Reagan Farr. "This investigation underscores our department's ongoing efforts to enforce Tennessee's tax laws."
This case was pursued criminally by the department in cooperation with Humphreys County District Attorney Dan M. Alsobrooks. 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 2009-2010 fiscal year, the department collected $10.2 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 2009-2010 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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View this news release online. Go to www.TN.gov/revenue and click on Newsroom.