Megan O’Donnell Division Chief of the Criminal Investigations Division and the District Court and Intake Division | Official Website
Megan O’Donnell Division Chief of the Criminal Investigations Division and the District Court and Intake Division | Official Website
Timothy Kjaer, 49, of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and former owner of several auto shop businesses in Suffolk County, New York, has pleaded guilty to Grand Larceny in the First Degree. The announcement was made by Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney.
“For over a decade, this defendant brazenly stole money from New York State by pocketing the sales tax he collected from customers instead of remitting it to the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance. In total, this defendant stole over $1.3 million by failing to report more than $16 million in taxable sales,” said District Attorney Tierney. “Today’s plea serves as a clear reminder that failing to pay taxes is a serious crime against the public that will not be tolerated. I thank our partners at the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance for continuing to work with my Office to investigate and prosecute tax fraud and to protect taxpayers.”
Court documents and Kjaer's admissions during his guilty plea allocution reveal that from June 1, 2011, to November 30, 2021, Kjaer failed to submit dozens of Sales Tax returns and falsified others that substantially underreported the taxable sales of several businesses he owned in Suffolk County.
Kjaer owned multiple businesses that failed to report sales tax revenue:
- Automotive Marine & Styling Center, Inc., and Real Deal Auto Inc. – 1165 E. Main Street in Riverhead;
- Not Just Tint, Inc., S&T Autoworks 1, Inc., and S&T Auto Centers, Inc. – 3165 Route 112 in Medford;
- EZ Credit Auto Sales, Inc. – 2910 Route 112 in Medford;
- Universal Auto, Inc. – 1831B Route 112 in Medford;
- Universal Auto Sales & Service, Inc. – 8B Middle Country Road in Coram.
In total, Kjaer failed to report taxable sales amounting to approximately $16,142,986 resulting in theft of $1,385,605 in sales tax collected on behalf of New York State. Kjaer admitted that the sales tax money was collected from customers on behalf of New York State and that he intentionally failed to remit those funds as required.
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