One of the largest automotive dealers in Minnesota was charged with criminal tax evasion under a scheme that routed sales of high-end vehicles through Montana shell companies to avoid the motor vehicle excise tax.
Hennepin County prosecutors filed criminal charges against Edina, Minn.-based Walser Automotive Group, Walser Pre-Owned Sales LLC, and William Ward, an auto broker affiliated with Walser. Prosecutors allege the defendants engaged in a three-year scheme that defrauded the state of more than $350,000 in taxes from sales transactions involving 34 vehicles. Ward was also charged with brokering sales of motor vehicles without a license.
According to ...