Sumner County Man Pleads Guilty To Delaying Tax Payments

GALLATIN - The Special Investigations Section of the Tennessee Department of Revenue conducted the investigation that led to this week’s guilty plea of Kamalesh Patel for delaying sales tax payments, a Class E felony.  Patel, 39, is the corporate officer of First Stop Market in Gallatin.

Sumner County Judge Dee David Gay accepted Patel’s guilty plea to nine counts of delaying sales tax payments. He was placed on six months of supervised probation and served 10 days in jail.  On July 5, 2013, a Sumner County Grand Jury indicted Patel on 34 Class E felony counts of sales tax evasion and one Class B felony count of theft of property over $60,000.

“The Department of Revenue is committed to applying Tennessee’s tax laws and policies uniformly to all taxpayers to ensure a level playing field,” Revenue Commissioner Richard Roberts said. “The Department cannot and will not allow people engaged in fraudulent tax activities to have a competitive advantage over honest business people.”

The Department pursued this criminal case in cooperation with District Attorney Ray Whitley’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 and the collection of taxes and fees associated with those laws. The Department collects about 87 percent of total state revenue. During the 2016 fiscal year, it collected $13.5 billion in state taxes and fees and more than $2.6 billion in taxes and fees for local governments.