Cleaning service owners charged with 45 sales tax crimes
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A married couple have been charged with 45 felonies for failing to pay sales tax through the cleaning service they ran together.
The charges have been brought in Ramsey County courtesy of an investigation by the Minnesota Department of Revenue, with the couple accused of failing to pay sales tax.
Antelmo Cabello Gutierrez and Antonia Zamorano-Urzua, of St. Paul, ran Big Family Cleaning Services, which provides cleaning for restaurants.
The complaint against them alleges that despite not having a valid sales tax permit, the couple charged customers sales tax on transactions for their services, but didn’t pay the tax they owed to the state for almost four years between April 2015 and January 2019.
As a result, the couple owes more than $54,500 in sales tax, penalties and interest.
Each of the felony counts issued against them carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison or a $10,000 fine.
“Although most taxpayers comply with tax laws voluntarily, the department takes enforcement action against noncompliant taxpayers to ensure that tax laws are administered fairly,” the Department of Commerce said this week.
It notes that many of the business tax fraud case referrals it receives comes from public tips, with members of the public told they can send tips to 651-297-5195 or 1-800-657-3500.
Alternatively, you can email tax.fraud@state.mn.us.