Former Davidson County Business Owner Enters Guilty Plea
Tuesday, January 20, 2009 | 09:48am
NASHVILLE - The Tennessee Department of Revenue’s Special Investigations Section conducted the investigation that led to yesterday’s guilty plea by John J. Wahidi, age 40, former owner of River Road Liquors located at 7078 Charlotte Avenue in Nashville. Wahidi pleaded guilty to one Class C felony count of Theft of Property Over $10,000. As part of the plea agreement, Wahidi was required to pay $109,907 in restitution to the state for sales tax he collected but intentionally did not remit from Jan. 1, 2004 to Aug. 31, 2005. He was sentenced to four years in the state penitentiary with all time suspended to probation. All other felony counts against Wahidi were dismissed.
“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.”
This case was pursued criminally by the department in cooperation with District Attorney General Victor S. Johnson’s Office. 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.Tennessee.gov/revenue.
Related news: Sept. 11, 2007 – Former Liquor Store Owners Arrested on Sales Tax Evasion Charges (http://tennessee.gov/revenue/newsreleases/2007/samadiwahidiarrest.htm)
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