Wilson County Man Arrested for Tax Evasion and Theft of Property

Nashville, Tenn. - The Special Investigations Section of the Tennessee Department of Revenue conducted the investigation that led to today's arrest of Frederick C. Ritter, age 69, of Mt. Juliet on tax evasion and theft of property charges. Ritter surrendered to Special Agents with the Tennessee Department of Revenue and was booked into the Wilson County Jail. Bond was set at $6,500.

On January 11, 2013, Ritter was indicted by the Wilson County Grand Jury on one Class E felony count of tax evasion in violation of Tenn. Code Ann. Section 67-1-1440(g) and one Class D felony count of theft of property in violation of Tenn. Code Ann. Section 39-14-103. The indictments charge Ritter with failure to pay tax due to the state totaling $5,143.00 relating to his purchase of an antique automobile and his subsequent false representation of the purchase price to the Wilson County Clerk's Office.

"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 Richard H. Roberts. "This investigation underscores the department's ongoing efforts to enforce Tennessee's tax laws."

If convicted, Ritter could be sentenced to a maximum of two years in the state penitentiary and fined up to $3,000 for attempted tax evasion. Ritter could be sentenced to a maximum of four years and fined a maximum of $5,000 for the theft of property charge.

This case was pursued criminally by the department in cooperation with District Attorney General of the Fifteenth Judicial District, Tommy Thompson'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).

In addition to collecting state taxes, $2.0 billion of local sales and business taxes were collected by the department for local governments during the 2012 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.

###