In a recent revelation from the Middlesex District Attorney's office, a Hopkinton man, Ashraf Youssef, has admitted to charges related to tax evasion. The 62-year-old, previously at the helm of AAA Smoke & Vape Shop in Marlborough, has pled guilty to three counts of attempted tax evasion for not paying more than $467,000 in excise taxes, as reported by Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan and Massachusetts Department of Revenue Commissioner Geoffrey E. Snyder.

A judgment was handed down in Middlesex Superior Court, assigning Youssef a year in the House of Correction, with six months to serve mandate, followed by five years of probation. Responsible for purchasing Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (vapes) from out-of-state distributors between 2020 and 2022, having routinely ignored the excises noted as due on the invoices, Youssef's systematic avoidance of the tax responsibilities ultimately led to his conviction. While selling vapes at his shop, the man sentenced to a correctional oversight of his freedom paid not one dollar of the massive tax sum.

Under the General Laws Chapter 64C, section 7E, Youssef was obligated to hand over excise taxes on the vaping products he procured for his business. Assistant District Attorney Whitney Williams, who prosecuted the case, worked in conjunction with the Criminal Investigations Bureau from the Massachusetts Department of Revenue, as per Middlesex District Attorney's office.

Youssef's evasion scheme was exposed when invoices clearly showed the taxes were his responsibility, with a significant amount owed over three years. The investigation, leading to his guilty plea, was a joint effort between the district attorney's office and the Department of Revenue, showing that tax laws apply to all merchants.