Local business owner Eric Wayne Helton, of the Aquatic Den in Cleveland, Bradley County, has entered a guilty plea for tax evasion charges. His admission of guilt, which followed an investigation by the department's Special Investigations Section, culminated in a court appearance last Friday, where Judge Sandra Donaghy accepted the plea, as reported by the Tennessee Department of Revenue.
Helton faced accusations of neglecting to pay collected sales tax from his customers, a serious felony charge which necessitates retailers to handle collected taxes with the utmost integrity but failing to do so, that failure compromises the trust between merchants and the community; his conviction underscores the legal imperative to properly manage and remit state taxes. According to the statement from Revenue Commissioner David Gerregano documented by the Tennessee Department of Revenue, "It is a felony for retailers to collect sales tax from the public and fail to remit it to the state," emphasizing the gravity of Helton’s offenses.
As a result of his plea, Helton will serve two years of probation and must also pay a sum of $105,083.24 in restitution; this sentence reflects the state's commitment to enforcing its tax laws and ensuring that individuals and enterprises alike contribute their fair share to public coffers.
The Department of Revenue, tasked with the administration of state tax and motor vehicle title and registration laws, reported collecting about 87 percent of the state’s total revenue for the fiscal year 2024 – with a staggering $22.2 billion in state taxes and another $4.7 billion for local governments, according to their website and the department has urged citizens to report any suspected violations of Tennessee's revenue laws through their tax fraud hotline.
