Davidson County Business Owner Surrenders on Theft Charge

NASHVILLE – The Special Investigations Section of the Tennessee Department of Revenue conducted the investigation that led to the surrender of Iyaed I. Afifa, age 42, co-owner of Zack’s #4 Phillips 66 in Old Hickory, Tenn. Afifa surrendered himself on Aug. 21, 2009 and  was booked into the Nashville Davidson County Jail. Afifa was charged with theft of property over $10,000. Bond was set at $1,000.

 

Based on criminal information, the Davidson County District Attorney’s Office charged Afifa with one Class C felony count for Theft of Property over $10,000 in violation of Tenn. Code Ann. Section 39-14-103 for failure to remit collected sales tax in the amount of $86,294.88 from Jan. 2003 through Aug. 2004.

 

“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."

If convicted, Afifa could be sentenced to a maximum of six years in the state penitentiary and fined $10,000 for theft of property charge.  

 

This case was pursued criminally by the department in cooperation with the office of Davidson County District Attorney General Victor S. Johnson III. 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 2008-2009 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 2008-2009 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.