Corporate Officers of Bail Bond Company Plead Guilty to Tax Evasion and Attempted Tax Evasion

NASHVILLE - The Special Investigations Section of the Tennessee Department of Revenue conducted the investigation that led to Thursday’s guilty plea of Fathi Alshinnawi, 69, to tax evasion, a Class E felony. Tesniem Shinawi, 28, also pled guilty to attempted tax evasion, a Class A misdemeanor.

Judge Joe Binkley accepted Alshinnawi’s guilty plea to two counts of tax evasion, placed him on two years of supervised probation, and suspended his sentencing until August 31, 2019. Judge Binkley also accepted Shinnawi’s guilty plea to one count of attempted tax evasion, and placed her on six months of unsupervised probation. Alshinnawi and Shinnawi, both of Murfreesboro, Tenn., were the corporate officers of Al’s EZ Bonding, which operated a bail bond company in Nashville.

“Our state’s tax structure depends on voluntary taxpayer compliance to remit money they collect from customers,” Revenue Commissioner David Gerregano said.  “Taxpayers who fail to remit collected taxes violate the public trust and the criminal laws of Tennessee.  This guilty plea highlights our rigorous and impartial administration of the state’s tax laws.”

The Department pursued this criminal case in cooperation with District Attorney Glenn Funk’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.  To learn more about the Department, visit www.TN.gov/revenue.