Wilson County Business Owner Pleads Guilty to Tax Charges

NASHVILLE - The Special Investigations Section of the Tennessee Department of Revenue conducted the investigation that led to Tuesday’s guilty plea of Prakash Patel, 51, to one Class E felony tax charge. Patel is the president and secretary of Cheap Discount Tobacco and Beer in Wilson County. Wilson County Judge Brodie Kane accepted Patel’s plea and sentenced him to one year supervised probation.

On December 8, 2015, the Wilson County Grand Jury indicted Patel on 36 Class E felony counts of sales tax evasion and one Class C felony count of theft of property over $10,000. The indictments charged that from January 2011 through December 2013, Patel failed to remit $27,575.59 in sales tax collected from customers at Cheap Discount Tobacco and Beer.

“The Department of Revenue promotes voluntary taxpayer compliance by educating taxpayers, aggressively pursuing criminal sanctions and demanding accountability when taxpayers engage in fraudulent activity," Revenue Commissioner Richard Roberts said. "This conviction underscores the Department's ongoing efforts to enforce Tennessee's tax laws."

The Department pursued this criminal case in cooperation with District Attorney Tommy Thompson and his staff. 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 2015 fiscal year, it collected $12.6 billion in state taxes and fees and more than $2.4 billion in taxes and fees for local governments.  To learn more about the Department, visit www.tn.gov/revenue.

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