Former Smyrna Businessman Charged With Sales Tax Evasion

Nashville, Tenn. - The Special Investigations Section of the Tennessee Department of Revenue conducted the investigation that led to the indictment and arrest of Amare A. Abreha, age 39, of Nashville, Tennessee. Abreha was arrested at his business in Nashville.

On April 3, 2013, Amare A. Abreha was indicted by the Rutherford County Grand Jury on ten Class E felony counts of filing false sales tax returns, in violation of Tenn. Code Ann. Section 67-1-1440(g), for the periods December 2007 through September 2008 relating to a market he previously owned in Smyrna, Tennessee.

"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 indictment underscores the department's ongoing efforts to enforce Tennessee's tax laws."

If convicted, Abreha could be sentenced to a maximum of two years in the state penitentiary and fined up to $3,000 for each count of tax evasion

This case was pursued criminally by the department in cooperation with District Attorney William Whitesell'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, over $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.

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