Dickson County Businessman Pleads Guilty to Tax Evasion Charges

Charlotte, Tenn. - On March 15, 2013, Dickson County Circuit Court Judge George Sexton accepted Johnny F. Donegan's (age 63) guilty plea to sales tax evasion in violation of Tenn. Code Ann. Section 67-1-1440. Donegan was fined $1,000 and placed on two years unsupervised probation.

On December 3, 2012, Donegan was indicted by a Dickson County Grand Jury on six Class E felony counts of tax evasion in violation of Tenn. Code Ann. Section 67-1-1440(g). The indictments charged Donegan with failure to pay tax due the State totaling $5,843.50 for the period August 2006 through April 2010 relating to his registration of vehicles with the Dickson County Clerk's Office.

"Tennessee's tax structure depends on taxpayers voluntarily complying with the laws," said Revenue Commissioner Richard H. Roberts. This case underscores our commitment to rigorous and fair administration of Tennessee's tax laws."

This case was pursued criminally by the department in cooperation with District Attorney General Dan Alsobrooks' office. Citizens who suspect violations of Tennessee's revenue laws should call the toll-free tax fraud hot line at (800) FRAUDTX (372-8389).

In addition to collecting state taxes, over $2.0 billion of local sales and business taxes were collected by the department for local governments during the 2012 fiscal year. Besides collecting taxes, the department enforces the revenue laws fairly and impartially in an effort to encourage voluntary taxpayer compliance. The department also apportions revenue collections for distribution to the various state funds and local units of government. To learn more about the department, log on to www.TN.gov/revenue.

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